It’s important for babies and toddlers to have fun playing with books before trying to read the story. Playing with books and having fun together will encourage a love of reading.
Your child may go through the following stages of playing with books:
- At first, your child may try to eat the book, bang on it, squeeze it, and look at the cover.
- Next, they may open it, close it, turn pages, and look at the pictures. Your child will like books with pictures or photos of their favourite people and things.
- Then your child will start to look at the pictures you point to. They will recognize the words and sounds you use and will try to repeat them. They will also like to point to pictures you name.
- Finally, your child will name the pictures by themself.
Choosing books
Here are some tips for finding books babies and toddlers will enjoy:
- Choose books with simple, interesting pictures or photos. Your child will learn that printed words are symbols for the pictures and story.
- Look for interactive books. Some books have flaps, sound effects, scratch-and-sniff pictures, puppets, and textured pictures.
- Visit your local library, where there are lots of great books to borrow.
- If you want to buy books, you can find low-cost used children’s books at thrift shops, garage sales, the library discard shelves, and online buy-and-sell sites.
Playing with books
There are many ways to show your child that books are fun:
- Link pictures in books with real things and experiences. For example, if you have a book about food, show your child real or play food, and use actions to pretend to eat and drink.
- Make your own picture books using photos or drawings of activities, places, or people your child likes.
- Take turns pointing to pictures in the book. Name the pictures your child looks at or points to. Play hide-and-seek by covering the pictures with your hand or a piece of paper.
- Let your child look at the same book as many times as they want. Using the same book many times will help your child connect words with print.
For more ideas
For more ideas and resources to support children’s communication and literacy, visit:
Where to get help
To learn how speech-language pathologists and audiologists can help with speech, language, and hearing concerns, contact your child’s healthcare provider or visit Pediatric Rehabilitation.
