If you take the time to think back into your childhood, you can probably fondly recall a good handful of books that you used to love and never grew tired of listening to or reading yourself.
Even now, you probably have several books that you can call to memory that you read throughout your life that you’re still fond of. You can pass on this same warm feeling for books to your children through early learning, which incorporates plenty of hands on experience with books.
Most children adore books. Usually, a child’s very first book is one of the water resistant plastic books made from puffy plastic. After they’ve mastered the art of turning pages, it’s time they move up to the heavy cardboard style books, which are simply known as board books.
Both types of books are filled with large colorful pictures, which are very entertaining to young eyes. The colors themselves draw the child’s attention from page to page, and the varied shapes intrigue the child to look further throughout the book.
If you want your child to have a lifelong love of books, you will need to get them introduced to them as soon as possible. Preferably, you should be reading to your child before they are even born.
This is something that both parents can participate in, as it isn’t limited just to mommy. Research has shown than infants can hear and recognize those voices around them before they are born, and make the connection after birth as to the people the voices belonged to.
Having both parents read will help the child associate his or her parents with where they belong, giving them a sense of security even at this early age. After your child is born, the reading shouldn’t stop.
Both parents should read aloud to the child as he or she grows over the years, even when they are beginning to read on their own. Reading as a family activity will help instill the love of books at a very early age, as most children love to sit on their parents lap and listen to the stories held within the pages.
As your child grows older, they will begin to read to you as you follow along with the story, helping them to identify unknown words. Building vocabulary and enhanced information retention is one of the benefits of using books in early learning studies.
You may want to use interactive reading activities, like using books that also have audio CDs you and your child can use to follow along with the text. Headphones or the newer ear bud style headgear can add an excitement to the process, and further engage him or her into the story.
No matter how much our technology may change, books will certainly remain a corner stone in the learning process. You will find that by introducing your child to an early love of books, you are giving them a head start on early learning, one that will help them to be successful for the rest of their lives.