More on reading to younger siblings

Chip celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday with us

I've been continuing to work on building read-aloud into Chip's daily life -- I want him to grow to love books just like his big sister does.  My friend pointed out that her second daughter is introduced to much older books than her first one was, but she also has a hard time making sure she reads to her.  I think this is a pretty common issue -- the older sibling is able to vocalize their desires and the younger child can take a back seat to those demands!  So here are a few more ideas for teaching the younger child to love reading time.


1.  Let them move -- have you ever had your baby scoot away while you read to them?  Ahhhhh -- why not read why they jump in their jumperoo?  Yes, you may have to be loud (not a problem for me), but let's face it, you certainly are associating reading with excitement!  My kids have both been BIG jumpers, and they start kicking their legs in a jumping motion as soon as they see I'm putting them in it.  The other day we read 6 straight books while Chippy jumped and jumped and clapped and grinned and laughed -- and LOVED IT.  When I saw the pile we'd gone through, I was stoked.  He certainly had fun during that storytime!  


2. Make sure they get access to the pictures, even if it seems like they aren't really paying attention.  I have to consistently tell Susie to sit down and not block Chip's view of the book.  Like all things, she is learning that she is not the only person present who matters.  She is usually so excited about the book that she jumps up to see the pictures.  It's easy to mentally go "oh, he's not really listening anyway. . . " but it's a good pattern to set to teach the older sibling to include the younger one in reading time.  It's a good skill to learn for when they listen to a story in a classroom setting as well.


3. Help them learn to explore the book with their hands -- you may need to start this by putting something in their mouths.  The other day Chip sat on my lap and turned the pages while we read a short board book together.  He didn't stop to bite it at all!  I've always let him explore our books with his wet little teething mouth, but I read to him several times while he had his pacifier, and so he learned to look at the pictures while I read.  It's really exciting when kids start to look at the pictures and get it.  I let him rip up junk mail when it comes, just so he can explore the paper and pictures and the other day I noticed he was touching the faces of the kids on a fold-out postcard we'd gotten.  He recognized what he was looking at!  This takes TONS of practice!  And babies may have that ah-ha! moment at different points.  

Chip with Big Red Barn

4. Pay attention to their favorites -- I could have easily told you what Susie's favorite books were at 9-10 months.  But Chip reads. . . what Susie likes, pretty much.  And obviously that's not all bad, but I think it's good for me to see what stuff he likes to read and even choose books just for him at the library.  In honor of this, I'm going to add a column to my blog sharing his current faves, as I come across those.  Maybe your baby likes the animal books when you make all the funny noises.  Maybe he likes the faces, or the rhyming books you make into a song.  

5. Make literature available for their destructive little fingers.  We have piles of books everywhere, and I trust Susie to treat them well.  But since Chip isn't mobile yet, he can't just crawl over and choose a book from the bookshelf.  So I've been putting various board books and cheap/free books from kids' meals or even sometimes mail or other pictures/paper in a clear box that once had spinach in it.  He loves the box because it makes a crunchy/crinkly noise, and he can see in it, even if he's on his belly because it's clear.  This is my current method for making them available to him.  Something else may work well for you -- so get creative!

Here are the posts I wrote about reading to babies when Susie was little if it is helpful to you!

Part 1 -- which I wrote when Susie was 10 months
Part 2 -- which I wrote when Susie was 18 months

Valentine Books and Reading with Chip

I took Susie to storytime at our local bookstore on Saturday, and she had a great time listening to Valentine's stories, eating cookies and making a little craft.  The store is called A Reader's Corner and just moved to a new location on Frankfort Avenue, which is great!  They give each child a free book for attending the reading. . . WOW!  When I flipped through the basket of free books, I was delighted to come across a little flocked book about a deer named Tuffer from 1959.  It has a chipmunk in the story, so I knew it was the one for us.  I knew that if I took Susie to the bookstore, I'd probably let her choose a book, but I ended up choosing one for Chip as well. :)  Sus picked a Strawberry Shortcake Valentine book, which is ok, but I found a cute board book called "Kiss Kiss" for Chippy.  The baby hippo forgets to kiss his mommy until he sees the other baby animals kissing their mommies. . . ohhhhh, so cute!  This is a CHIEF reason to shop at your local bookstores!  They will have a variety of books that you didn't even know about, and it is ohhhh so fun to discover a new book.

I've tried to be more intentional about reading to Chip and giving him books to play with.  I read to Susie quite a bit at his age, and sometimes he gets left out because Susie chooses longer stories that he can't always enjoy, or that he wants to grab and bite or tear.  As you can imagine, Susie is not a fan of this!  So here are my little tips about reading to a baby when he is your second child:

1. Read during 1 on 1 time.  Chippy has time alone with me in the afternoon while Susie is still napping.  That's when I give him books to play with and read him little board books where I let him turn the pages, or take it away from me altogether.  It is book exploration, and it will lead to him learning how to turn pages, and enjoy the pictures on his own.  

2. When you have together storytime, try to situate the baby like this -- have him sit by older children, maybe on a blanket, and give him a small book to hold, or maybe a toy to chew on.  Then sit across from the children, and hold up the book facing them.  Chip has caught on quickly to direct his attention to the pictures and turning pages, so we have enjoyed several medium length books like this.  I wouldn't do our Winnie the Pooh collection just yet, but something with lots of big pictures and frequent page turns.  He, at 9 months, is seeing that reading together is something we enjoy as a family.  I include him in the questions and sound making (for example -- "can you make a kiss sound Chippy?  Can you make a kiss sound Susie?").  Of course he doesn't answer but Susie does and I do it, and often he grins at us.  He will join in before long.  I don't want to just ignore him as if he's not sitting there reading with us.

side by side exploration

3. Side by side exploration -- this is where I give them both books to look at while they are playing together.  This way he can see what she's reading, and have something of his own.  Now sometimes this will fall into him trying to get her book, or her deciding to take his to read to him (which he gets ticked about, understandably), so I have to facilitate this time.  Generally it works well, and he will explore his book while she "reads the pictures" of her own.  Here's a precious picture I snapped of them reading together this morning.

Reading to Babies Part 2

A while back, I posted some tips on reading to babies that I hoped would encourage parents of little ones.  Last night as Susie and I were reading before bedtime, I realized that as she has grown, my methods have changed somewhat, and that I had some new tips to share on reading to young toddlers.

I almost have a hard time calling an 18-month-old a toddler, but I realize that is the correct term.  But one year old baby/toddlers need lots of read-aloud time with Mama, too, and we are laying groundwork for the longer books of our future with the books we read today.

1. Consistent book exposure -- It may sometimes feel like the books are just everywhere, and try your sanity a bit as you try to keep them tidy.  However, having print (and pictures) accessible to your little one will greatly benefit them down the road, and increase the likelihood that they will request to be read to.  Being able to look through a book at their leisure introduces the concept of independent reading.  To make books accessible, consider keeping some in baskets in regular play areas, or at least in reach of their little fingers.  I have a gorgeous bookshelf mounted up above our changing table that Susie cannot reach, and that's where I keep the special books that I wouldn't want to have ruined (for now).  However, the vast majority of her books are all over the place.  I'm thrilled that she has the freedom to "read" those books to herself.  One time I cracked up to see her reading Cat in the Hat and saying "NO NO NO!!!"  If you recall, "no no no" is the major theme of the book -- the cat making trouble and the fish and kids wanting him to leave -- so she was telling herself the story as she looked at the pictures.  

2. Familiarity -- this is the reason that kid's birthday parties often have the theme of their favorite "characters":  the kids feel like they know those characters through consistent exposure.  Several months back I noticed that Susie was frequently saying the names of the characters in her books, and recognizing them everywhere.  For example, every monkey was "George".  It dawned on me (over time) that she liked reading the same books over and over because it was like she knew these people.  So, as much as I'd like to broaden her horizons by introducing new books every day, I know it will take time for her to warm up.  Here's how I introduce a new full-length picture book:

• I let her flip through the book while I point out things happening in the pictures.  I let her handle most of the pages, even though I keep the book moving forward (no need to read every page if she skips one). You may let your child do this several times or on several occasions if necessary before actually reading it.
• I read the book (if she hasn't cast it aside already) out loud as far through as I can.  I might possibly summarize parts of longer pages to keep the pace going.
• The 3rd time through (assuming she wants to read it again, or perhaps if we pick it up later) I read it entirely.  By this point, she has gotten a pretty good grip on what will happen and the story is far more enjoyable if I don't leave anything out.  
• Henceforth, I usually insist on her waiting to turn the page until I have finished reading what is on the page (more on this later), though I don't insist we finish reading the book if she loses interest (this is not usually a problem.  By this point, it will surely be "again!" when we get to the end). 

This worked incredibly well with a new library book we got yesterday.  From about 4pm to bedtime, we read it 9 times, and she was sad when I said "all done" for bedtime.  She even told her daddy what happened in the book at dinner.  Here's my point: sometimes we get discouraged because a child doesn't seem to like a book initially because they are flipping through it.  However, by taking baby steps to familiarize the child with the story, they will often warm up to the book. Just give it time.

3. Freedom and responsibility -- at this point, I still want my baby to have freedom to explore the books.  

• I don't always require her to sit on my lap (or sit at all) while I'm reading to her.  Usually she does (she's a cuddler) but sometimes on our 4th time through a book, she just can't hold still any longer, and she will stand and look at the book, or even walk around a little and come back.  Unless I can tell she's just done, I keep reading.  
• If she is inclined to do so, I let her turn the pages.  Usually this is a favorite part of reading for this age level.  When a child tries to turn a page too early, it might seem like they don't care about the story, which can be discouraging.  However, I think that most likely it is just their eagerness to do their part and see what is coming next. Sometimes I say "just wait, mommy has to finish reading this page" and sometimes I let her turn it, look, and then I turn back and pick up where we left off.  We are gently guiding these little ones to understand the order of a book, and at the same time teaching them patience and responsibility.  
• This is the age to begin to instruct them in responsibility for their books.  I don't let Susie walk on her books (paper page books, that is), or throw them.  When we read, sometimes she wants to put her feet on the pages, but since I think that could tempt her to kick and tear the pages, I tell her not to put her feet over the pictures.  All of this sort of instruction is done in a very patient and gentle manner.

4. Don't give up, or refuse to read -- If your baby doesn't seem thrilled by books, don't give up.  Keep reading, even little snippets when you get the chance.  Anything is better than nothing.  If your kiddo is constantly requesting the same book 47 times, don't refuse her (tedious though it may become)!  This era will soon be past, and you'll miss those snuggle moments when they are gone!

Reading to Babies

Oh, how I love read-aloud!! I always have. I've looked forward to the days when I had a little child of my own to sit on my lap and read good stories to. I've built up my book collection with the classics that every child should have read to them. And now, I have a precious daughter to read to. All the time. Whenever I want.

But. . . reading to a baby can be hard! And for an active baby -- especially in the 6month+ range, where everything goes in the mouth -- books aren't exactly the best toys, unless you want your autographed Kevin Henkes book ripped to shreds and the cover chewed up. When Sus was brand new, I'd read to her on her changing table -- the bookcase was right there by us and I could choose book after book. Now I've switched to strictly board books (we try a paper one every once in a while, but as of yesterday she still wasn't ready), and I thought I'd share some practical tips for reading to a little booky-monster.

1. Be realistic. It's ok if you can only get through a couple pages. Of course, it's good to build on this, but by choosing short and simple board books that take less than a minute to read, you can set a practical reading goal for your baby. Mamas-of-babies might try to read The Velveteen Rabbit because it was a gift from great-grandma and then get frustrated and think "my baby doesn't like to be read to". Here are some types of books I like:

• Board books with all the words on one page -- sometimes it makes it easier, because I can look at one side and let her play with the other
• Board books with a whole thought/story/poem per page -- keeps your sanity! You actually read something whole, not "Spot went to the. . . " over and over.
  
• Board books with large illustrations -- some even take up a whole page (another reason I like the words to be on one side: that way the pictures can be bigger

2. Give Freedom. Try to hold the book so that your child has some freedom to explore what you're reading. For example, I hold our bedtime book so that all the pages on one side stay tight together, but she can open and close the cover over and over if she wants. Since all the words are on one side, I can still see what I'm reading. For some reason, she loves the front and back covers of her favorite books. It's good for babies to learn to turn their own pages; it teaches them how books work so they can learn to look at books by themselves. I usually try to read through the book as far as I can (you can usually tell when the good listening time is ending), and then let her turn back and forth to pages. Sometimes she has favorite pages and I read them over and over. I have those pages memorized.

3. Make it interactive. It's more than reading with expression, doing voices, etc. I had that down reading to bigger kids. For a baby, I point to parts of the pictures (she usually follows suit and touches what I touch -- this is all good learning), and I try to touch the picture that goes with what I'm reading. I make the lions in Daniel's den roar (softly) to catch her attention (it doesn't scare her). I say "Ooooooooooooh. . . the baby. . . look, he's so cute. . . " and slowly pet the picture over and over to to convey what I think of that cute picture. She doesn't have words to tell me what she thinks of the cute picture, but she can touch it and make sounds like me. In this way, she is interacting with the book.

4. Have a routine and build it up. Our bedtime reading time has really extended and improved since even just a month or so ago. I read from Baby's Hug-a-Bible (read my review by clicking the link -- I love it!) to her each night at bedtime. I've recently found that if we snuggle up and I hold the book pretty close to us (not on my lap like I was doing), the picture fills more of her field of vision, and she's not distracted to look at other things. That may not always work, but for now, she's had extended attentive listening time this way. Of course, it's nice to have spontaneous reading times whenever your baby picks up a book, but it's wonderful to have a storytime before bed and enjoy a wonderful routine. I choose to read a God-centered book because this is the beginning of our devotional time together. As time goes on, we can read storybook Bibles and then just the actual Bible. But for now, I am teaching her that this time is special, and this book is wonderful.

Please share your tips on reading to a baby! Have you had success with reading paper-page books? If so, please share how you do that without communicating that books aren't for touching -- I just can't figure that out!