Did you know that reading with your child before birth helps them with language and cognition after birth? National Academy of Sciences researchers found “that prenatal experiences have a remarkable influence on the brain’s auditory discrimination accuracy, which may support, for example, language acquisition during infancy.” If reading to them before birth has an impact, imagine what happens as we are reading bedtime stories together!
Happily, reading time is not limited to bedtime or parents. Sessions before lunch or mid-afternoon, with an aunt or caregiver, are a great way to work in additional reading time. The more important factor is making storytime a positive experience. Sessions should be timed for the infant or toddler’s attention span and make use of appropriate materials for their age. A 3-year-old will be bored with a simple baby book that takes 30 seconds to page through. They are ready for a variety of characters with lessons on sharing and empathy woven into the story.
Once settled in for a session and we begin reading, we naturally fall into changing our voices for the different characters. We may mimic facial expressions and physical characteristics. These actions help not only engagement at any age but are particularly important to babies as they build their brains around social cues and tonal recognition. Before they can talk or express more complicated ideas, infants and toddlers are absorbing the sounds, actions, and emotions in their environment.
Adding Fun to Story Time
As the reading session continues, certain books often become favorites. How do you satisfy the child’s need for reading the same book for the 23rd time while maintaining your sanity? Expanding participation and activities around the stories enriches the experience for all involved!
If that favorite book has a lion, you can both act out the sounds and crawl around like a lion. Shake your head like a lion. Be the lion…you get the idea. Acting out scenes with sound and motion engages the brain and body. Have a globe or map handy so you can point out where lions live. Try staying away from using a phone or tablet – a map or globe offers a more sensory-rich experience.
Hint: This is particularly helpful on bad weather days when kid energy needs an outlet.
Take the favorite characters and be creative together. If the child is too young to draw on their own, spend a few minutes with the crayon and demonstrate color and textures. Keep your language positive. This is a great opportunity to show how creativity is more about personal expression than perfection. Children are not born knowing about limitations. They learn from what they hear and observe.
Take the favorite characters and be creative together. If the child is too young to draw on their own, spend a few minutes with the crayon and demonstrate color and textures. Keep your language positive. This is a great opportunity to show how creativity is more about personal expression than perfection. Children are not born knowing about limitations. They learn from what they hear and observe.
On the 43rd round of reading the favorite book, you notice that the lion has leaves around his paws. Viola! Time to explore your environment for other things you might find around a lion. Leaves…check! Grass…check! Bird feather…lion snack…circle of life…check! Use that last one at your discretion.
Gather your drawings, a couple of selfies from acting and signing and your newfound leaves. Grab some construction paper, glue and string and you are ready to create a scrapbook of your recent activities. Keep it handy during storytime, going through the pages as you read their favorite book again and again.
Eventually, even favorite books are replaced by new interests. What is irreplaceable are the memories made during your storytimes. The advantages gained by your child during reading and focused activities last for their entire lifetime. Imagine building blocks being placed and reinforced on a strong foundation – every book and every song builds another path and strengthens their foundation for success.
At Kids Incorporated of the Big Bend, we provide Early Head Start services in the Tallahassee, Monticello and Madison areas for infants and toddlers, years 0-3. We include the entire family in programs geared to educate and close the gap in learning. Our staff and volunteers are dedicated to the health, wellness and education of all those we serve. For more information on our services or becoming a volunteer, please visit us at www.KidsIncorporated.org
