Reading contributes to the cognitive development of toddlers by promoting language learning. Here are 5 techniques for reading a book to your baby from 6 months!
Reading a book seems very simple; but when you start reading with a baby, some advice is welcome. On her TikTok account, an emergency pediatrician shares her little tricks to help parents. Here are 5 little-known techniques for reading (well) to your little one from a very young age.
Choose one or two words per page
Most parents, full of good will, will choose a book and want to read the story to their baby from start to finish. If your child is very young, this doesn’t really make sense… The expert advises instead to choose one or two words per page and make them fun in order to capture baby’s attention. She also invites parents not to hesitate to make small sound effects associated with these words. Naturally, your baby will want to repeat, with his own words.
Let your baby “respond”
When you’ve read a word from the book, the expert advises waiting for your baby to respond. In fact, your little one practices by vocalizing and trying to reproduce the sounds he has heard. Don’t panic, at first your baby will only say small sounds, these will probably not resemble the word you read; it’s not serious.
Choose a book to touch or surprise
In the baby books section, the choice is vast. The expert advises parents to choose books with different textures or small books with surprises like windows to open or tabs to pull. Know that learning and concentration require manipulation in young children. We don’t hesitate to let them touch the books.
Let your baby turn the pages
At first your baby will probably not be able to concentrate on listening to a story from start to finish, this is normal, especially if he is very young. The expert recommends letting your child turn the pages on their own, even if they skip several, it’s not important. The main thing is to let him discover books and to support him in this discovery.
Avoid “orders” to encourage manipulation
When there is a button to press or an area to touch; the expert recommends avoiding “press here” type orders. Replacing the sentence with “look, there’s a button” or “it’s very soft there” is preferable to encourage manipulation. His taste for discovery will only be reinforced.
@docteur.urgences 5 techniques for reading books to your baby #lecture #bebe #livrebabe #apprensurtiktok #parentalite #medecindetiktok ♬ original sound – Docteur Urgences
Reading, many benefits for babies
If some parents think that their baby is “too young” to pay attention to reading a story; think again. Your baby listens to you and reading helps develop his senses. A source of fun and pleasure, listening to a story also allows your baby to develop many skills: cognitive, visual, etc. Books also help strengthen the parent-child bond through a calm activity.
Scientists have also found that reading stories is beneficial for premature babies. This allows these infants who arrive “too early” to hear their parents’ voices while promoting the bond of attachment, which is sometimes complicated in neonatal intensive care units. Voice variations make babies react and thus allow a moment of complicity in an often difficult context.
