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The Perfect Books for Babies and Toddlers
By Kinderling Kids Radio
Reading is a wonderful activity for babies and toddlers. It stimulates their creativity as well as cognitive and language development.
It’s never too early to introduce your baby to reading, as long as you find some age appropriate books.
Jaquelyn Muller is a child literacy advocate and author of two children’s books. She shares a few amazing age-appropriate book suggestions and some great tips on how to support reading in each development stage.
Four - 12 months old
What do babies like at this age?
Being close to their parents or carers
Watching facial expressions and hearing their parents’ voices
Listening to sounds and music
Looking at books with baby faces and bright colours
Hearing the same stories and rhymes being repeated
Touching and tasting books How can you support reading at this age?
Smile and hold your baby close so they can see your face and the book
Copy the sounds your little one makes e.g. “da-da-da”
Help your baby bounce and move to the rhythm of your voice or music
Talk or sing about what you’re doing when you’re around the baby
Notice what your bub is looking at and name it
Share stories with your baby in the language you feel most comfortable with
Start a book at the front — you don’t have to finish it; a few pages is a great achievement!
Repeat words from the book when playing with your baby (e.g. “Splish, splash, scrub-a-dub” when in the bath)
Make animal noises
Book suggestions:
Peepo Baby - Sebastien Braun
Where is Baby? - Sally Rippin
Tickle, Tickle - Helen Oxenbury
W is for Wombat. My First Australian Word Book - Bronwyn Bancroft
I Went Walking - Sue Machin & Julie Vivas
12 - 18 months old
What do babies like at this age?
Sitting close, seeing the book and your face
Looking at and listening to the world around them
Moving to the rhythm of stories, nursery rhymes and music
Touching objects with different textures (soft, smooth, prickly)
Hearing the same songs, books and stories over and over again
Feeling and holding the book and helping to turn the pages
Looking at books about family, food, animals and colours How can you support reading at this age?
Ensure your baby can see your face and the book you’re sharing
Play and laugh with your baby
Give them different textures to touch and talk about what they feel like
Sing songs that your baby can clap, dance and move to
Talk about what your child is doing or pointing to
Tell their favourite stories and rhymes over and over again
Name the pictures your little one touches or points to in the book
Keep books at home to share with your kids
Do actions to the story
Take your baby to the library to look at books and join in reading sessions and activities
Book suggestions:
Count My Kisses, Little One - Ruthie May & Tamsin Ainslie
Old MacDonald had a Farm - Mandy Foot
Where is the Green Sheep? - Mem Fox & Judy Horacek
Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell
18 - 36 months old
What do toddlers like at this age?
Pointing to and naming things they see
Reciting the same rhymes, songs and stories over and over again
Listening to songs and stories with his or her name in them
Filling in the words in songs and stories they know
Reading about animals and making animal noises
Choosing the book and helping to turn the pages
Talking with you about the games they are playing
Talk to your toddler about what they are doing as they play
Help your child notice words, sounds and letters in everyday life (e.g. street signs, grocery packaging)
Sing simple songs together, make your own music and dance to the rhythm
Find words that rhyme in stories and song
Play and have fun — you don’t have to read the whole book
Encourage your toddler to turn the pages and talk about what he or she sees (e.g. “Show me the snake.”)
Share books, read-along storytelling apps and eBooks wherever you are
Carry books when you go out
Visit a library, borrow some books
Book suggestions:
Giraffes Can't Dance - Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle
Elizabeth Rose on Parade - Jaquelyn Muller
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes - Mem Fox & Helen Oxenbury
The Wheels on the Bus - Penny Dann
3 - 5 years old
What do toddlers like at this age?
Naming the things they know
Talking, singing and moving to music
Hearing words that rhyme
Making up their own stories and drawing the pictures
Listening to stories about themselves, families, friends and going to school
Reading alphabet and counting books
Helping to tell a story or song they know How can support you reading at this age?
Point out signs, grocery packaging and other words and pictures when you shop
Help your child to draw and talk about the drawings they make
Make up actions to go with the words of songs
As you read, run your finger under the words
Talk about the story and ask questions e.g. “What is the bird doing?”
Help your child find the first letter of their name in the book
Share eBooks and apps to help your child learn about sounds and letters in words
Have children see you read books you enjoy
Visit your local library regularly and borrow books
Book suggestions:
Can I Cuddle the Moon? - Kerry Brown & Lisa Stewart
I Love you 5 Lollipops - Jaquelyn Muller
Dig Dig Digging - Margaret Mayo & Alex Ayliffe
K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo - Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees
Content by Kinderling
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