How old should my child be when I start reading to them?
I started reading to my oldest when my home emptied from all the new mama help. My whole life was suddenly very different- I was now home all day by myself with a little life that totally depended on me for everything. I was used to being around people- mostly children, but they were verbal children. The silence that resonated in our little apartment was somewhat daunting. So I started to read to her. I would read books out loud that I liked, while she was awake. Before she could see straight I would hold her on my lap and talk about the pictures in books. It was great. When she got a little more wiggly I would read shorter books, but she still paid attention pretty well. She loved reading, and books became something wonderful we could share together.
It was definitely tricky the second time around. I thought I had a great formula, but it was much more difficult to read to the same extent with my second daughter. My then 2 year old demanded a lot of attention, and she wanted to be the center of my attention when I was reading to her. The result was that my younger child did not get read to so much as a baby.
I felt pretty guilty about it, especially when I finally started reading to her and she was just not interested. I knew she wasn’t too young because my oldest daughter had the patience for books at that age. I thought that hey, she’s a different kid, maybe she just isn’t interested yet, but the guilt persisted. I had to get her to pay attention.
The first book she was interested in was this fish puppet book. Paying attention to the little moving puppet really got her hooked on the story. She thought it was so funny to see the fish move and loved to grab it. Interactive books like this giraffe book or this puppy book are so awesome and engaging for small kids!. I slowly started to add other interesting and short book to our repertoire, especially Sandra Boynton books. My kids still love those, even though they are short. Moo Baa La La La is a fan favorite, as is Doggies.
Now we are on to number three, and it threw us through another loop. I no longer have space on my lap for all my children, which turns a relaxing bonding experience into a family wrestling match. Our reading time varies greatly- I sometimes just read to the toddler, or just the girls. They each get one on one reading time at some point. Poor little third child- he had to learn to read to himself. He loves books and will turn each page saying, “a Dodie! Woof woof!” or any other animal he happens to know.
The moral of the story- start reading to your kids as soon as possible. No age is too young, and it is never too late to start. There are awesome books out there for any age. Start with books you enjoy, and read as long as they have the attention for it. Your enthusiasm will rub off on them, and soon you will have a house full of little independent readers.
What do you like reading to your kids? How early do you start reading to them?
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