Reading with your baby

Materials You Need:  A baby book (made of cloth or with a hardcover, brightly colored pictures, and tactile elements).  If you don't have one, you may use plain paper folded in half on which you can draw a few pictures or shapes in bright colors.

What You Can Do Together: Put the baby on your lap so that you can look at the book together, but you should also be able to see your baby’s face. Place the book so that you can both see it and then read it! You can describe what is in the picture or tell a story about it, point your finger at the pictures, and name them. Use short and simple sentences. Vary the tone of your voice, be quiet, then be surprised…

Let your baby see your facial expressions, and you observe his/her reactions and name those that you see he/she likes or dislikes. Allow him/her to touch the book, put it in his/her mouth (if it is safe), and explore it in other ways. If the baby makes a sound while reading, allow him/her to "read" as well. Listen to him/her and respond by repeating her sounds, asking questions, and praising him/her. When you notice that your baby is no longer interested – he/she looks away or protests in some other way - patiently wait for his/her attention to return to the book and continue. If the book is no longer interesting to him/her, come back to it later. 

What Your Child is Learning:  Reading and looking at books together is important for your baby's communication skills and language development.