Reading. Such a simple way to connect with our children and make a lifelong, lasting impression.
"If you do nothing today in the form of schooling except read to your child, please know that that is enough."
Reading to Your Baby in the Womb
Reading to a child can begin before they are even born! Not only is it relaxing and calming for you, but just the sound of a mother's voice can help regulate a fetal heartrate.
There is an incredible bonding that occurs when a mother reads to her baby.
Our Favorite First Books
Guess How Much I Love You
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Good Night, Gorilla
Little White Rabbit
God Gave Us Love
Reading To Your Young Child
Sharing time reading together helps to develop a lifetime love of reading!
When reading to a baby or toddler, repetition is important. Reading the same books daily helps them they stay engaged and begin to learn the story. We often read the same book everyday for about 2-3 weeks.
Reading helps children discover new interests and encourages them to want to learn more.
Books contain words that are not always a part of everyday speech which helps to expand their vocabulary.
Stories are conversation starters for parents and children and often open opportunities for deep and meaningful conversations.
When you read to your child, you show them you value reading and spending time together.
Some Favorite Children's Books
The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman
Every Autumn Comes The Bear by Jim Arnosky
I'll Always Love You by Paeony Lewis
Don't Wake the Bear by Steve Smallman
I Love You, Mommy and Daddy by Jillian Harker
Children Need to Move
Toddlers shouldn't be expected to sit still during Storytime. Kids need to move- in fact, many kids retain more when they are doing something with their hands during Storytime. They are able to listen better and focus and learn more when engaging in something with their hands.
Activities Kids Can Do While You Read Aloud
Color or paint
Cut and glue paper
Build with blocks or Magna-Tiles
Play with Playdoh
Enjoy a snack
Create art with Do-A-Dot Markers
Play with a Sensory Bin
Reading Aloud to Older Children
Even reading aloud to older children who are independent readers is extremely important and beneficial. When we do the reading, allowing our older child/teen to just sit and enjoy the story, they get to enjoy the book in a different way. This creates healthy habits of reading for fun. My daughter and I treasure our read aloud time together. We try to read together at the same time each day and it gives us both something to look forward to. It has become our special thing! Even older children and teens may enjoy painting or drawing etc. during read-aloud time.
We are enjoying the book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Choosing Wholesome, Quality Books
When choosing books to read aloud with your family, it's important that the books are good and wholesome books full of good behavior, good choices, appropriate language, and good character/morals.
The Good and The Beautiful provides a free Book List on their website as well as a list of books that didn't make the cut! I encourage you to take a look as many of those books are popular books but may be filled with rude behaviors, disrespect to parents, foul language, and more. I hope you find it helpful for choosing wholesome books for you family!
"What we feed our bodies matters, and what we feed our souls matters, too. This is true for us, but even more so for our kids, who are discovering who they are-and Whose they are-as they grow." Sarah Mackenzie, The Read-Aloud Family
For more about why reading aloud is SO important in a child's life, I encourage you to read The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie. This insightful book explains how to make meaningful and lasting connections with your kids. We want our children to read not because they have to, but because they want to.