Well hello dear blog readers,
Today I will be following on from my previous blog post about pre-reading skills. In this post I will be talking about the importance of reading to our children and some of the benefits of this. This post will be split into two parts; this post will be about our babies and toddlers and the second part will be about our pre-schoolers and will touch upon our school children too.
So, first, let’s talk about our role. Obviously, our babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers can’t read so it’s our role to instil in them a love of books, stories and learning through us reading to them and exploring stories with them.
With babies this is easy. Just provide fabric books to explore. If you’re having a lovely little lap cuddle look at a few together. Often these books don’t have words so just say what you see. If it’s an animal fabric book name the animals you can see, maybe repeating it two of three times. You could also make the sound the animal makes too! Sometimes sounds are easier to imitate than actual words.
Some baby books are also sensory and have different textures and sounds to them. This is a great way for babies to explore the different textures and sounds especially the crinkly sound some of them make when they are scrunched! These can also be great if they attach to a pushchair. It can keep them entertained as you are out and about and also models that reading/ stories etc can be used at anytime and anywhere.
When your baby has started to develop a bit more and isn’t putting as much in their mouth, you could transition to the smaller
board books. Use these in much the same way, repeating the words and sounds. They may also show an interest in starting to turn the pages whether you’ve explored them or not. This is okay as they are exploring them on their own terms and maybe enjoying the pictures more.
Next are our younger toddlers. At this age it can be a little bit difficult as they have a better sense of what they do or don’t want to do. This is okay too. It’s our job to role model reading whether it be a magazine, a book or newspaper. So, what do you do if they don’t want to sit down and listen to a story? Well, read it out loud to yourself of course! Children are sponges so even if they don’t look like they are listening or taking it in, they may well be! Books at this stage/age should be short with not too many words on the page. Board books are still a good idea at this stage too as they are easy for our younger toddlers to handle as they may not have the ability to turn the thinner pages of a book. Many of these books are “lift the flap” books and younger toddlers love to interact with these! A great example of one of these is the classic “Dear Zoo.” It is short, easy to read and builds anticipation before lifting the flap to see what animal the zoo has sent you this time! The “that’s not my…” range of stories are also very good at this stage in a child’s development as they still allow for sensory exploration and is teaching them new words. At squirrel Lodge we follow our children’s lead in their learning. We have many children who are not interested in books, however all we do is introduce stories that link to their individual interests and then use this to spark a love of stories and books.
Children at this stage and age are in the “me, myself and I” phase so it may be a good idea to get books with faces, mirrors, simple emotions (i.e: happy, sad, angry etc) as well as care routines such bedtime, meal times, getting dressed. This is because in the “me, myself and I” phase they don’t have a greater sense of those around them as they are still learning their place in life. Nursery rhyme books are also fab at this age and stage too.
Now onto our older toddlers. They may have moved on from board books now so stories with easy to turn pages are the next step. Stories at this stage should still be short and easy
to read and follow such as another classic “The tiger who came to tea.”
Older toddlers are moving out of the “me, myself and I” phase so books with a few more characters are a good suggestion as our toddlers are starting to show more interest in other people such as other children and may be starting to form friendships. At this age and stage, you could also incorporate learning in a fun way. For example, a basic concept for a toddler at this age and stage is size such as “You are (not) small.”
The best time to read a story to your baby, toddler, pre-schooler is anytime! Here at Squirrel Lodge, we don’t have a set time for stories. We find that the best time for stories is anytime and as and when they want a story read to them. We also model nursery rhymes throughout the day too. For example, if a child finds a spider we will sing “Incy Wincy,” or we introduce a story about a spider. “Would you like to read it?” We find that this works much better than an enforced story time. As mentioned in a previous post if a child is more interested in something, they are more likely to take it in and respond. And, we want our children to want to listen to a story. We want them to love stories and books and learning for pleasure. By having a set story time, it may feel like a chore to listen to it. Especially if the story does nothing to capture their attention or interests.
So, that is the end of the post today. Keep your eyes peeled for part 2!
But, before you press the little “x” in the corner, I will leave you with a little top tip: Don’t be afraid to make yourself sound silly! Put on different voices, accents etc as it adds to the fun of stories. And, if your toddler sees you having fun that will be more likely to pass on to them. And who doesn’t love the sound of a child giggling?!
So, this evening, cuddle up, grab a story and get ready to dive into a world of pure imagination!
Josh and the Squirrels
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