Choosing books for your toddler
Your toddler is eager to find out about the world around her – about how things look, feel and behave. Books are a vital tool for helping her understand new situations and emotions. The more you read to her, the more aware she’ll become of language, building her comprehension skills and self-confidence so that she’ll want to have a go herself. Plus, reading together is special shared time you can enjoy with each other, strengthening the bond between you.
The seeds of learning
The best books for toddlers reflect their experiences while introducing them to
new ideas and concepts. You’ll see how reading to your child helps to develop her imagination and concentration skills – crucial for her first steps in early education. It’s a simple fact that without good reading skills, a child’s learning potential will be reduced. But if your child is familiar with books when she starts at preschool or kindergarten, she’ll be more confident about learning. Research into the benefits of early reading has shown that children whose parents read to them on a regular basis do better at school – success based on the greater verbal knowledge and memory powers that result from reading together.
What to look for in a toddler book
Keep in mind that elaborate storylines aimed at older children won’t advance your child’s reading skills. A toddler still has a relatively short attention span and stories need to be fairly simple, so choose books that are appropriate for her age (if you’re not sure, your local children’s librarian should be able to advise you; children’s books also may have the age suitability printed on the cover).
The book should deal with everyday situations your toddler is familiar with – going to the store; helping you around the house; going to the park – but they can contain a fantastic element (such as a tiger going to the mall) to stretch her imagination. Toddlers still see the world in visual terms, so look for books with brightly colored illustrations of people and objects she can recognize, point to and name.
Books with rhyming text can help to make a story more enjoyable and the rhymes will encourage her to listen more carefully to how letters sound and how words are formed. Repetition will reinforce the ideas contained in the story and prompt much joining in – she’ll have great fun shouting out the key words before you do!
Action books are awesome for little kids – their interactive nature means that you can join in the story, reinforcing the idea that reading is an activity that mommy and daddy enjoy too. And look for lift-the-flap and pop-up books which your child can ‘read’ all by herself.
It’s important that your toddler can handle the book herself, so choose lightweight books of a manageable size so that she can hold them without too much effort. If you can, get books with strong, tear-proof paper and rounded page corners.
Building a library
Children’s books can be expensive simply because so much care and attention goes into their content and appearance. However, most publishers specializing in children’s books do also produce budget ranges – Dorling Kindersley and HarperCollins are particularly good, and any good bookstore will carry a range of titles from these publishers.
It’s also worth buying online – most auction sites have a books section – or register with your local Freecycle site and you could benefit from other local moms giving away books their children have outgrown. Good alternatives to new books are second-hand books – look at your local Goodwill store and check out weekend yard and garage sales. Inspect the books before buying them to make sure there are no pages missing which would interrupt the flow of the story, and that books haven’t been scribbled in or otherwise defaced. And why not set up a book swapping session with friends who have children, or at your local toddler group… after all, there are many moms and dads out there with young children who are desperate for fresh reading material!
Joining the library
You can enrol your child at your local library when she’s a baby and you’ll find that there are lots of planned activity and reading sessions going on there as well as a constantly changing supply of good children’s books, CDs and DVDs which, most importantly, have been carefully selected for their fun and educational value. The children’s librarian will be a good source of advice on what’s suitable for your child’s age group.
Taking care of books
Books are easily damaged and for that reason you should never spend a fortune on them. There are bound to be occasions when pages get torn or scribbled on, but try to teach your child to respect books. Explain that tearing out a page will spoil the story and if she is being heavy handed with a particular book, take that one away and give her another to distract her. And keep in mind that she’ll be way less likely to scribble on her storybooks if she has a proper coloring book or scrap paper to draw on!
Make reading fun for your toddler
- Encourage your child but don’t overdo it if she’s not in the mood. Reading should be enjoyable for her and too much pressure could put her off the idea altogether.
- Get her involved Let her choose a book for you to read together; encourage her to point at and name objects that she recognizes; leave pauses for her to join in with the story; ask her questions about what’s going on in the story to stimulate her to think about it.
- Make reading fun ‘Act’ out stories using exaggerated facial expressions and funny voices for the different characters.
- Practice what you preach Let her see that you enjoy reading. This is particularly important with boys – they tend not to do as well as girls with reading and studies suggest it may be because it’s usually mommy or another female carer or teacher who reads to them. A male role model is vital – so make sure daddy takes a turn at reading.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 02/11/2008
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