Baby Reading Tips

 

Reading personalized baby books

Reading personalized baby books from as soon as they are born has shown to have a tremendous impact on a child’s developing brain, especially their language skills and vocabulary. When it comes to reading to babies, it helps to know where and how to start, so here are a few helpful tips:

Birth to 6 months: Since the vision of an infant is still developing during these early months, it helps to choose books with little or no text and big, high-contrast pictures. Books that have interactive elements like textures, fabrics, mirrors, peepholes, popups and other inserts can also help babies learn as well as stimulate their still-developing brains. For parents, even choosing to read a brightly printed magazine on glossy paper can make for good baby-reading time – since the words are not yet important at this stage, kids can still learn by looking and they can still benefit from simply spending time with you and hearing the tone of your voice.

7 to 12 months: Before they are a full year old, children begin to grasp language and may already have a very basic vocabulary. Even if they aren’t speaking yet, they likely have an understanding of some basic words. In this vein, picking books that are about just one object or person per age are best; hearing you name something your baby recognizes reinforces their vocabulary and helps them realize that the words are linked to the illustrations, so make sure to point to the right pictures at the right times!

Acting out what you read with your face, hands, and voice can help, too. Let your baby babble back to you in response. Doctors suggest that this “conversation” can help them learn to take turns and teaches them about focusing on the same thing as someone else while also boosting communication skills.

Reading Personalized baby Books

For both ages under the one-year mark, you may want to stick to baby baby board books or fabric books, something that can withstand your child playing with them – and this sort of behavior should be encouraged at this stage. Kids learn by feeling, and sometimes tasting, so when they are very young they will explore new objects by physically touching them or even trying to gnaw on them to get an idea for what they are and how they feel.

13 to 18 months: As kids get older, you can begin introducing books with more than one sentence per page. Also, acting out the story and really getting into the dialogue can be extra effective around this age. When reading animal noises, be sure to imitate their sounds. When your child begins to mimic you, they will also be learning. After a while, ask them what sounds the animals make and so on. Ask them where the animals/subjects are in the illustrations.

15 to 18 months: Your baby may be able to answer questions with a word, so give them the opportunity to identify images they know by asking, “What’s that?” If they respond, you can try adding adjectives, sounds, colors, or other things you can use to describe the image and further boost their vocabulary.

19 to 24 months: At this age, many toddlers find the familiar routine of reading as reassuring and calming, and they may find a similar comfort when it comes to the same familiar books as well. Around 18 months, children may begin to ask for the same book over and over and over. This can help kids develop a love of reading, but as they become more and more familiar with the same book it also allows them to learn new words on top of the ones they have already memorized.

Best Type of Books to Read with Babies

Read With Your Baby

If kids always have reading and books as a part of their everyday lives, they are more likely to develop a healthy relationship with both of them. It becomes more likely that children will pick up a book on their own, even if they are not prompted, which can help spark their interest in learning to read while building their literary skills.

One of the best ways to acquaint kids with books and reading is to introduce it an early age. It doesn’t matter how young your child is, it is never too early to bring books and reading into their lives. But since young children may not yet understand books or know how to read, it does help to expose them to books that they will still be able to enjoy and interact with regardless. So what are the best kinds of books for babies?

Board Books

Personalized Board Books for Babies

Board books are a great first-time book for any baby. These books are easy to look at and play with since babies don’t know how to read yet. The stiff pages are safer for babies who are still developing their motor skills, but it also helps kids learn to use their motor skills and allows them to explore the object physically without getting themselves hurt. Babies like to touch, but they also love to feel around with their mouths as well. It is one of the first ways that babies learn what objects are. Let your baby sift through the pages of a board book and there is no need to worry if they explore the books with their mouths, either. Doing so will allow your baby to develop a relationship with books in general, and simply having them around can help establish them as a staple object in the world that they can become familiar with and explore.

High Contrast Illustrated Books
Kids are easily dazzled by color, which is why toys and cartoons are so whimsically designed. It inspires their imagination and grabs their attention. By drawing your child to the pages of a book, they can begin to learn how to explore narratives through images while they develop this part of their brain as well as this particular learning skill. The images in a book can be just as captivating and educational as the words, especially for kids who have not yet learned how to read and whose worlds are still inherently visual. Engaging kids by inspiring this aspect of their brains can also help to harness an interest in books as well.

Word Games
Books that use language in creative ways can be really fun for children, especially for kids who are learning to speak or learning to read. Things like rhyming and sing-alongs are great ways to interest kids as well as teach them. Rhyme and song are great tools to employ when teaching kids something new, because it makes new concepts and ideas easier to remember.  Rhyming and repeating text helps build your baby’s early language skills.

Where Can I Get Baby Books and Sing-Alongs?

Personalized Rhyming Book

Check out our Little Little One personalized book which has repetitive text and rhyming that will grab your baby’s attention and build their vocabulary and memory skills.  We also offer personalized music CD sing-alongs where we insert your baby’s name into the song.  Lastly, we also have personalized baby board books where you can insert your child’s photo.

By adding this bit of personality into learning or reading, kids are more likely to get excited and more readily engage with whatever it is that they are doing.

Get Your Baby to Read

Personalized Children's Books
Personalized Baby Books
It’s never too early to get into a story, and babies are no exception. While babies may not fully understand the concept of a book, it’s important to let them explore and experience books. Our Personalized Baby Books build self-image and help babies with their recognition skills as well as leading to an early independent interest in reading! 

Babies use all of their senses to learn, and letting them experience a book in all of these ways can help your child create a positive relationship with books for life.  Just as babies are more receptive to learning languages during their first three years of life, they are also more receptive to reading as well. 

Children look to their parents for behavioral cues and pick many of them up, especially in their earliest years when parents are their main social connection and teacher. Read to your kids, be an enticing storyteller. Children can learn a lot from vocal cues and no one is immune to a well-told story. Not only that, but parents should read, too. Kids want to do whatever their parents are doing and learn a lot through imitation. Also, have books around the house, baby books, magazines, novels, you name it. Having books available makes books a fixed part of your babies growing world.
Remember, babies are exceptionally impressionable.  Not only can parents read along with their kids, point to pictures and be effective storytellers, but they can play reading games and use letter cards. While children are learning the language, they can learn how to read it at the same time as well. But remember, be patient. Babies will be babies and they learn best when they explore on their own, building a sense of independence. Don’t get frustrated if your baby loses interest or crawls away, moving around is part of their learning experience. Find the right moments to sit with them and expose them to the wonderful world of reading.