Your Baby Can Read?

There's a discussion going on over at www.babycenter.com regarding reading program for babies. What a great discussion! I’m all for anything that encourages parents to spend time with their children and that encourages positive interaction. Get down on your child’s level, read books, look at flashcards, use gestures, use sign language, sing and laugh. Do all of these things together as long as both parties are interested.

Language Development

Imitate your baby’s sounds and gestures while labeling the things she feels, hears and sees using both speech and any signs you know. Signing won’t delay speech but it will let your baby play with language using a motor ability, their hands, that develops earlier than the motor ability for spoken words.

Reading Development

Read to your baby! Use boardbooks that have bright colours and one or two big concepts per page. Watch your baby when you look at books together and talk about where her interests seem to be. It’s okay to go beyond the text in the book. If your baby or toddler is interested in flashcards and DVDs, watch them together and talk about them again when you are outside or elsewhere in the house. Make learning meaningful to your baby, but also make it fun!

Sign the ABC’s with your little one. When you are reading to them show them different letters in your books. Point to words as you read them. Make reading enjoyable and fun!