Choosing Books: From newborns to preschoolers

Choosing Books: From newborns to preschoolers

by | Nov 3, 2011 | Life with Baby, Popular Concerns: TV,Tantrums.., Preschool Years, Terrific Twos

The joy of reading is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. Letting your imagination go as you read through the words is an amazing feeling. Get your child into reading early on. You can start introducing books at a very early age, as young as 3 month. Here are some tips on how to choose appropriate books for your infant, toddler and preschooler. With a list of some of my favorites for every age. Enjoy!

Reading with Baby

Birth to 6 months

At this age try to choose books that are either cloth or board books. Avoid paper pages, they’re difficult for babies to turn and will tear immediately. Look for books with high contrast colors with simple, clear and big pictures with a character or two in each page. While reading through the book remember to point your finger at the object you’re describing. This way your baby understands what you’re talking about. Books at this age don’t need to have any text, you can improvise each time you read the story making it a new experience every time! Make sure to give your baby the opportunity to look through the book on his own as well and practice turning the pages.

  Fuzzy Bee and Friends (Cloth Book) by Roger Priddy

 Is a soft and colorful cloth book. Your baby can enjoy touching and squeezing the different insects in the book.

Baby Animals Black and While (Board Book) by Phyllis Limbacher

These high contrast black and white images will grab your baby’s attention while you talk to her  about the animals.

 

6 – 18 Months

Babies at this age start enjoying more color in books as well as feeling different textures. Again stick to cloth or board books and include books with colorful and simple images. Add  more books with textures, tactile experiences add pleasure to your baby’s reading experience and foster sensory exploration. Introduce books that encourage object labeling and everyday life.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? (Board Book) by Bill Jr Martin and Eric Carle Your baby will enjoy reading this book into her preschool years.

Touch and Feel Baby Animals by Dorling Kindersley
This book has beautiful and clear photographs of different animals. As well as different textures for each of them that your baby can enjoy touching.


Reading with your Toddler

18 Months to 2.5 Years

At around 2 years children start experiencing a language boom when words just start flowing and your toddler starts expressing himself easier. Toddlers can understand everything way before they can express themselves. Books that have more detail, a story line and encourage participation are perfect for  toddlers. Lift-the-Flap books are great fun for kids and help develop fine motor skills. Encourage your child to lift the flaps and guess what’s under. You’ll soon find your child joining in with load exclamations of “YES” “NOoo” “It’s a LION” as you read along. Look for books that label familiar people and emotions, as well as books full of rhyme and rhythm. Point out objects that you see in your life. Try rhyming funny and made up words. Remember to often point to the text and images as you read.

For a great list of books for toddlers Click Here!

 Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss
This classic is full of fun characters and Dr Seuss signature rhymes. New  editions are available as Lift-the-Flap books as well.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Watch how this caterpillar make it’s way through all sorts of yummy items and transforms into a butterfly.

Reading with Your Preschooler

2 .5 to 5 Years

Your child is developing very fast now. Language both expressive and receptive is increasing, your child is picking up more and more words and mimicking your sentences. At this age children also start enjoying dramatic and imaginative play. They are also developing skills like sharing and empathy. Books with imaginative and make belief characters are great for this age. Try to include books that foster creativity and imagination as well as those that represent real life situations your child can relate to. Books with a story-line and carry a message like sharing, kindness, etc can be engaging for children. Include your child in the storytelling experience by asking him what will happen next or to make up his own story.

For a great list of books for your preschooler Click Here!

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak  
A beautiful and imaginative classic.

Things That Go! by Richard Scarry
Your child will spend hours enjoying Richard Scarry’s illustrations and discovering new details every time!

I hope this gives you some tips on choosing books for your child at different stages. These are just guidelines for choosing books that children will generally be interested in. Remember to consider your child’s interests and developmental abilities when choosing books.

What do you think ? What are your child’s favorite books?

Happy Reading! :)

Picture from Toddler Lesson Plans
Recycling Fun

Recycling Fun

by | Aug 12, 2011 | Creative Learning

Recycling isn’t just about separating your garbage or exchanging your plastic bottles for a few cents. Recycling can be fun and creative for both adults and children! Artists and designers  have created some incredible pieces of work using recycled material.
You can also introduce your child to the fun aspects of recycling by turning an everyday item into something imaginative and creative.

Try turning a plastic bottle into a bird feeder or a boat! Here is a great idea to turn your milk bottles into planters.

Make puppets out of paper bags or use them to make these wonderful trees

Egg cartons make great bugs! You can also use this great transportation theme from “Getting Messy with Miss Jessy“

Also, check out these fun toilet roll ideas here and here!


Recycling isn’t just about making crafts, you can also make music. Try this creative outdoor music idea with your old pots and pans. Check out more recycled outdoor music ideas here!

You can use almost anything in your home to make one of these great Water Wall ideas. Check out ideas here and here.

You can find more great recycling craft ideas to do with your little on here.

For more inspiration check out what great Christmas trees cans and bottles can make and how some artists make sculptures out of old toys!

Reading to your Child about Recycling

Here are a few books about recycling for children ages birth-5. Get your child into recycling early on! 🙂

Don’t Throw That Away! A Lift-the-Flap Book about Recycling and Reusing 

“Follow an eco-conscious super hero as he teaches kids how to recycle and reuse common household items! The six large flaps throughout show that oridinary trash is really a treasure. From turning old clothes into fun costumes or an old box into a brand new car, kids will learn that saving the environment is super cool!”

Choose to Recycle! A Green Touch and Feel Book 

“A soup can becomes part of a new bicycle. A tire becomes a new ball. A bottle becomes a new goldfish bowl. In this die-cut, touch & feel book, recycling helps to create neat new things! This is a fun and simple introduction to one of the three R’s of conservation: reduce reuse RECYCLE. Reading to make a difference in the world. Hardcover book with touch-and-feel areas and die-cuts that reveal new images.”

Why Should I Recycle? 

“What if everybody threw away old bottles and newspapers, littering the world with glass and plastic and tin cans that should be recycled and made into new products? Mr. Jones is a teacher who sets a good example for kids by separating his trash for recycling. When he takes them on a class trip to a recycling plant they learn the value of recycling. Part of every child’s development involves asking questions. Today, some of the most important questions kids ask are related to the natural environment. The enlightening and entertaining four-book Why Should I? series demonstrates the importance of protecting nature. Books present brief, entertaining stories that answer children’s questions and feature amusing color illustrations on every page. A note at the back of each book is for parents and teachers, suggesting ways to use these books most effectively.”