Between the Shelves: How to Keep Your Child’s Bookshelf Vital
Your child’s bookshelves are brimming with boundless opportunities to read, learn and imagine. So when it comes time to add new books to the collection, it’s important to keep your child’s home library relevant to their age and reading level. This helps to maintain interest and a love for reading, and will help ensure that books come alive for your child. Not only does reading strengthen cognitive development, it also fosters the bond between parents and children."There are so many wonderful books available for young children," says Barry S. Zuckerman, MD, CEO of Reach Out and Read, a national non-profit organization that promotes early literacy by making books a routine part of pediatric care. "Consistently adding variety and new or ‘new-to-you’ books is important to cultivating a child’s reading skills and development."
Target has partnered with Reach Out and Read to help spread the reading message to pediatrician offices throughout the nation. Through Reach Out and Read, parents receive an age-appropriate book at each well child visit through age five. To help with the not-so-simple task of choosing the right books, Reach Out and Read and Target have compiled tips for parents to help keep book shelves relevant for children of all ages and stages:
For Crawlers (birth – 18 months):
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Reading is a great way to bond with your baby while they are still in the womb and after birth. Books of lullabies and nursery rhymes are soothing.
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Newborns learn language skills from watching parents’ facial expressions and listening to voice inflection. Choose books that you can sing to your child or that feature characters that you can bring to life through different voices and animated faces.
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Babies show interest in books by touching, chewing or throwing them – cloth books are soft on gums and impact. As they become more interactive, choose books that your child can hold and turn the pages, with your help.
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Books with bright pictures, familiar objects and special fabrics and textures that baby can touch and feel are very engaging. Books like Fuzzy Bee and Friends by Roger Priddy help keep their attention and stimulate learning by supporting speech development and increasing vocabulary.
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Select sturdy books for young readers. Board books are a good choice for children under three and can withstand the handling of young readers.
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Choose books that follow your child’s own interests. If trucks, ponies, or princesses interest your child, select books that feature them to hold his or her attention.
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Books that incorporate concepts into the story are fun and educational. Try Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. – it’s a pleasure to read aloud and teaches the alphabet at the same time.
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Books that have a lot of action, pictures and repetition are favorites of this age group.
For Flyers (three-five years):
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Share something special by choosing a book that you enjoyed as a child and tell your child how you loved the book when you were his or her age.
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Starting school, getting a new pet or sharing toys with a sibling? Choose books that relate to what is happening in your child’s world.
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Stories about issues children face like fears, separation or new siblings can be gently addressed in well-written books like Pirates Don’t Change Diapers by Melinda Long and David Shannon.
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Pop-up books, flap books, and read-along stories (books with audio cassettes/DVDs) provide good reading fun for your child.
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Locate books with characters that are your child’s age or that share your child’s name. Children love characters they can relate to.
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Explore books featuring your child’s favorite characters like Clifford, Madeline or Dora the Explorer.
For Adventurers (seven-nine years):
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Introduce your child to new authors and genres such as mystery, adventure and historical fiction. However, let them decide what interests him or her.
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Don’t overlook non-fiction books. Not only do they encourage reading but they open up new worlds to young readers.
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Children at this age like to collect things so series books such as the Junie B. Jones books or the Matt Christopher sports books will appeal to them.