Reading With Your Baby or Toddler

As a speech-language pathologist and mama, I think it is SO important to read with your babies and toddlers for their overall speech and language development. Reading aloud exposes children to a rich variety of vocabulary, sentence structures, and language patterns that they might not encounter in everyday conversations. This exposure is fundamental in building their language skills, enhancing vocabulary acquisition, and promoting comprehension abilities. It also fosters a love for books and storytelling, laying a strong foundation for literacy skills that are crucial for academic success later in life.

Try incorporating these tips into your reading routine to create a nurturing and language-rich environment that promotes your baby’s communication and literacy development.

• Start early- Introduce books right away to your baby. This doesn't mean that you have to read the book, but you can show them the cover or a few pictures and talk about what you see.

• Make it interactive- Little ones love books with liftable flaps, different textures/fabrics, and mirrors. Label what you see in the pictures and make fun noises for them to try to imitate (e.g., animal noises, environmental sounds). Encourage your baby or toddler to participate by pointing to pictures (you can give them hand-over-hand support at first).

• Don't stress- It may take a while for your little one to show interest in more than a few pages, so don't get upset if that's the case. The more you can expose them to books, the better!

• Choose books with colorful pictures and few words- Children are drawn to the images in the book so choose books that have colorful images rather than black and white pictures or books with a lot of text.

• Use expression- Use different facial expressions and character voices to not only keep your child engaged but also help them make pragmatic language connections and understand the story on a deeper level.

• Allow them to touch the book- Let your child touch and hold the book, allow them to play with the pages and even chew on it. You want them to explore and build interest. You can help them to turn the pages and hold the book upright. Let them lead and follow their cues. Trying to structure the activity may lead to your child disengaging.

• Repeat books- Reading stories multiple times is actually good for your little one! The more that you read a book with a child, the more exposure they will have to the vocabulary and story elements leading to increased retention of information.

Why Reading with Your Baby is Important:

• Early literacy skills- Believe it or not, beginning to read with your baby is laying the foundation for early literacy skills that will develop down the road such as print awareness, letter knowledge, and understanding of book conventions.

• Bonding & routine- Reading together provides a special bond with your child and can become a comfort for them. Having a routine of reading books before bed can also provide baby with a sense of predictability and comfort.

• Language development- Reading together helps to build vocabulary, improve comprehension, and lay the foundation for understanding and use of language.

• Cognitive development- Reading stimulates cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and problem-solving.

• Building interest- By introducing children to books early in life, you are helping them to build interest in reading. My 14-month-old loves books! She will bring me books over and over throughout the day to read to her. We introduced books to her at a few weeks old, and I believe the repetition and routine of looking at pictures and reading has sparked her interest in books at this stage.

• Social interaction- The interactive nature of reading together encourages social interaction, turn-taking, and communication exchanges, which are fundamental aspects of language development.

So, get out those books early on to help set the foundation of a positive relationship with books and literacy for your child! Remember that it should be a relaxing and stress-free experience for you and your baby.

Check back for some of my favorite children's books and why I love them for speech and language development!

Below is my little one at 4 months old looking at pictures in her book during tummy time! She loves it when I make the corresponding animal noises as she looks at the pictures.

Below are videos of my little one and I reading together and playing with books.