Reading is one of the basic educational building blocks and wanting your baby to start reading early is fine, but be sure not to push her. According to developmental psychologist, Judith Hudson, most children do not begin to read until the age of 5 or 6. Some researchers believe that children younger than that are not capable of decoding letters and making them into words.
There are however, activities that you can do with you baby, to help develop her reading skills. The most important thing you can do for your baby is giving her the desire to want to learn. This is the key to her later success.
Step 1
Introduce your baby to books and print. This is done by reading to him. Read to him several times a day for short periods of time. You want to focus on getting him excited about books and the stories in them. He should begin to feel as though books are important and fun.
Step 2
Run your finger across the words as you are reading. This will help her understand that the story you are telling comes from the print in the book.
Step 3
Talk to your baby. Even though he can't talk, you should still answer his baby talk. Get him to look at you by touching and smiling at him. This will help him to develop language skills. It will also teach him that what he says is important.
Step 4
Use an animated voice when reading stories to your baby. If there is a lion in the book, imitate the sound that it would make. This will get her excited about the book.
Step 5
Point out pictures as you read. This will allow your baby to correspond the picture to the word. His vocabulary will be strengthened, and he will be able to associate the word the next time he sees it.
Step 6
Play games with your baby. Ask him where his nose is. Then touch his nose and tell him, "There it is." Continue to do this with other body parts.
Tips and Warnings
- Continue reading to your child even after he has learned to read.
