March is National Reading Month! You know I love a good activity, and reading aloud to your child is one of the best, and easiest ones you can do.
There are so many benefits to reading with your child from infancy: it supports their overall development, especially their communication skills and vocabulary. But perhaps most importantly, it helps your child make connections to the world around them.
Have a baby?
Try having them face you while you read to them. This way, they can see the way your mouth forms words and sounds as well as your facial expressions.
Choose books that are tactile and texturized to really engage your baby’s senses.
Have a toddler, preschooler, or kindergartner?
Ask questions as you read. “What is he doing?” “Where do you think they will go next?” “How do you think she is feeling? This is a great way to build your child’s comprehension skills and help them connections to things they’ve experienced in their own lives. Pay attention to things your child gravitates to curate parts of their book collection towards their interests. Noticing your child loves a particular book? What is it about that book? Is it lifting the flaps? The colorful illustrations? Do the words rhyme? Maybe it’s about dinosaurs, which your child is super into at the moment. Whatever it is, go with it and find more books like it!
Share books with diverse characters— characters that allow them to see themselves reflected, as well as characters that differ from them to allow them to see and learn about the experiences of others.
The biggest thing? Just try to read something out loud to your child every day. Check out the lists below for some of my favorite books: some classics and some new additions all broken down by relative age ranges!
Looking for more support like this? I can help! My 1:1 consultations provide a customized plan specifically tailored to YOUR needs & your child’s interests & developmental goals so you can feel confident and excited about parenting and feel less burnt out & overwhelmed. Click the link below to book yours!
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