Books and Babies
If the commercial claimed: “Your baby can sculpt!” you’d have probably said: well, yeah, with play dough…
If the commercial promised: “Your toddler can paint!” you’d have probably wondered: that’s what she thinks I look like?…..
Why is it easy to see that it’s inappropriate to push some skills on our babies — but not others?
When it comes to reading, some parents place a big emphasis on how soon, how much, and how well their young children can decipher which ideas (aka “stories”) have been compressed into squiggles (aka “words”), and affixed to a two-dimensional surface (aka “page”).
Literacy, like every other life skill that your baby learns, will at first depend completely on the parents. Start by reading age-appropriate books to your baby. Use only cardboard books with sturdy pages. Your smart baby’s innate curiosity will prompt her to reach out and grab (and taste) whatever you’re holding — make sure it’s non-choking.
Yes, your young child can read — someday. Here’s what she will need to learn first:
How to explore a book: Expect her to want to hold the book. Perhaps even upside down. Let that go for now. When she starts paying more attention to the pictures, she will also sort out the right way to hold the book. Through her explorations, she will discover that books are fun. The pages flap around, they taste good (if it’s a cardboard book), and there’s a picture on every page! Don’t expect her to start the book at the “beginning” for now.
How to pay attention to a book: Expect your child to hand you a book, then snuggle in, and get ready to listen to your voice. The older she gets, the more your infant or toddler will react to the storylines in books. Although she may even have favorite pages and pictures to look at, she’s also going to know that you like to begin the story at the beginning. As her language skills grow, she will be able to use her words to name the elements of the page art, or to “read” along with you by making familiar sounds related to the story or characters.
How to book her own appointment with reading: Your child’s literacy will also mature into that very recognizable stage of independence. You will know this has happened when she ”reads” her favorites to a captive audience: her dolls or stuffed friends. Your young child might also offer to “read” to you — with a sometimes surprising accuracy. That surprising accuracy thing means her books are important to her, so she has little patience for your reading flubs. She can and will correct you, Mommy.
You don’t need a special system to teach your baby how to use (aka “love”) books. You just need books and a lap.
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Carly Jennings | Language Development | 
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