American pediatricians advise reading books to children from the first months of life, so that the baby will better recognize the intonations of the parents and quickly develop communication skills. From the age of two, when the child is consciously absorbing information, you can start reading books together, making it a little evening ritual.
Wanting to involve a child in collective reading is one thing, but putting it into practice is quite another. Not every toddler can sit for a long time listening to a story: he or she may quickly get bored with such a ritual, especially if the child is very active. For you, here are 10 tips on how to read books to children correctly and involve them in the process.
How to read books so that a child will love them:
- Don’t forget that up to the age of 1.5-2 years it is better to look at pictures and comment on what is shown on them. You don’t need to force your baby to listen to the whole text, because this way he will quickly lose interest.
- From 2-2.5 years, start reading books as a family, involving daddy. For this, you can choose a cozy couch and a special corner for reading, where the child can later read independently. Every day, adults should swap with each other, taking turns reading a book
- Reading for a child should be done with great artistry! In addition to words, use gestures and facial expressions to convey the emotions and events of the book. If something scary happens, ooze and raise your hands, if the hero does bad things, scold him “aye-aye-aye,” so that the baby understands how to act badly.
- Actively show that you are also very interested in the events in the book and you more than the child can not wait to find out what happens next. Ask your baby, “What do you think will happen next? I wonder what the princess will do?”
- Motivate your child to repeat after you the facial expressions and gestures or the action that the main characters in the book do. For example: “This weekend we’ll ride a bike like these bears!” , “Can you roar like the tiger in the story?”
- Periodically reread the same book for your child. Children under the age of 5 love to know how the story ends, and they like to read it several times. Read the book in small doses 3 times a week when first introduced, and reread every two weeks thereafter.
- To motivate your toddler to listen carefully, ask leading questions about characters from previous chapters. For example: “Do you remember what the baby bear said to Masha?”
- If a certain phrase is repeated in the book especially often, pause after a few words so that the child finishes it himself. For example: “This is the house that … Jack built it!” While reading, purposely make some funny but obvious mistakes that the child could correct.
- Laugh and joke while reading, and don’t read to your child unless you are in the mood and inspired to do so! This ritual will be especially productive for the baby if you enjoy the process, too!
