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As both a mom and a kindergarten teacher I am a huge advocate of exposing children to books at a young age. There are so many advantages to doing this.
I started reading my babies’ books before every naptime and bedtime when they were 3 months old. Not only did this establish a strong bedtime routine, but it also started teaching them the fundamentals of reading.
Related: “How to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night (5 Ways)“
Reading isn’t just saying the words that are on a page – it’s much more than that.
Reading is knowing how to hold a book, how to turn the pages from right to left, and how to look at the pictures and track words (later on). This is how young kids can start to learn about the concepts of print.
Learning how to read also starts with learning tone. When you read to your little one, they are hearing the different inflections of your voice and learning speech and language.
I remember watching my 9-month-old grab a book, open it, and start turning the pages all on her own. That’s the first step to learning how to read.
I’m sharing my favorite books I read with my toddler, so you can enjoy them with your little ones!
Duck & Goose, How Are You Feeling?
Focus: feelings, friendship
I love Duck & Goose books and so does my 2-year-old. This one in particular teaches your child some basic emotions by depicting them in a scenario. They’re complex feelings like “selfish”, “frustrated”, and “proud”.
Sheep in a Jeep
Focus: rhyming
This one focuses on rhyming words, allowing your child to begin to learn early literacy skills. Hearing the patterns in the words and sounds on every page also teaches your child about rhythm. My toddler loves helping me read this book by filling in missing words as we read. I will start reading a sentence and pause when I want her to say the rhyming word.
Five Little Dinosaurs
Focus: counting, friendship, feelings
I have a shy toddler, and this book taught her that it’s okay to feel shy. The dinosaurs in the story invite each other to play, even though they feel shy. Your child can also practice counting to 5 while reading this book.
Duck & Goose, 1, 2, 3
Focus: counting
This Duck & Goose book teaches your child how to count objects. The objects are scattered all over the page, so you can practice one-to-one correspondence by helping your child touch each object as you count all the way up to 10.
A is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
Focus: alphabet, history
This is a wordy book for a toddler, but nevertheless, I still included it on this list because my toddler loves it. We only read her the women’s names and on days when she wants to dig deeper, we briefly tell her what the women accomplished. She’s being exposed to new ideas and new names – all while learning the ABCs. And it’s adorable to hear my daughter say “That’s Oprah” matter-of-factly.
Hello, Boston!
Focus: rhyming, history
The nearest city to us is Boston. This book talks about some of the most famous and symbolic places in Boston. It uses rhyming words that make the text easy for your child to learn. Wherever you live, you can find out if there is a board book about the nearest city or a famous point of interest nearby!
Snuggle Puppy!
Focus: rhyming, sing-along, friendship, love
This one is always fun to read with my toddler because it involves singing. We started reading this to her when she was very little and now she is singing it herself. It uses lots of rhyming words and puts an emphasis on the love a parent has for their child.
Press Here
Focus: imagination, following directions, colors
This one is fantastic because it makes your child participate. The book gives you directions, and you have to follow them. This interactive book also encourages your child to use their imagination.
Dinosaur Dance!
Focus: sounds, dinosaurs
My daughter loves doing the movements that we made up to go along with this book. It exposes her to new sounds and words she doesn’t hear throughout her day. She’s also learning a few dinosaur names in the process.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
Focus: bedtime, dinosaurs
This is such a fun book to read at bedtime! It talks about the silly hypothetical ways dinosaurs say good night. The book ends in a gentle way to help settle down your child before you tuck them into their own bed.
I Am a Big Sister!
Focus: siblings
This book teaches your child how they can help with baby-related tasks when their new sibling is born. My daughter still loves reading this one and often quotes the book by telling me, “When baby sleeps, shhh, no noise. I quietly play with all my toys” when her baby sister is napping.
A Celebration of Sisters
Focus: siblings
Another book about sisters that we introduced when we were expecting our second child. This one beautifully narrates the positives and challenges of sisterhood.
Little Bug on the Move
Focus: repetition, directionality
This book about a caterpillar is interactive because you and/or your child can make it move! It uses repetition to teach directionality, such as “up, up, up” and “around and around”. My daughter has so much fun watching the little bug move in different directions and even hide on some pages.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Focus: counting, life cycle, days of the week, sequencing
This is a classic book about the life cycle of a caterpillar. It exposes your child to the days of the week while counting the different foods the caterpillar eats. It’s also a great book to use to teach sequencing. Whenever we read the long list of foods the caterpillar eats at the end, I try to challenge my daughter by asking her what food comes next.
Where’s My Teddy?
Focus: rhyming, feelings, opposites
This is my husband’s favorite book (don’t worry, my toddler loves it, too, and that’s why it’s on this list). It uses lots of rhyming to describe an interaction between a bear and a boy. They somehow mixed up their teddy bears and try to make it back into their beds with their correct-sized teddy.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Focus: rhyming, sequencing
We have two copies of this book, the classic board book and the slide-and-find board book. They’re both great, but the slide-and-find book makes it more interactive for your child. You can practice sequencing with both copies by asking your child what animal comes next before turning the page or before sliding the flap.
Lift the Flap: Nursery Rhymes
Focus: rhyming, sing-along
Nursery rhymes are a great way to help your child learn how to read. Nursery rhymes rhyme (obviously), but they also have rhythm. This helps children hear patterns in words and sounds.
First 100 Words: A Padded Board Book
Focus: words
There are many “First 100 Words” books that focus on different topics. My daughter’s favorite is this one with a variety of topics. Even though it doesn’t tell a story, she has loved reading it. When she was younger, I would ask her where the “ball” was, and she would point to it. When she got older, I started pointing to the picture and she would tell me the word for it. They also sell these books in box sets. They have them for animal words, nature words, USA words, love words, color words, Bible words, farm words, and even Spanish words. They’re a great addition to holiday baskets!
The Pout-Pout Fish
Focus: rhyming, feelings
This is a fun book that takes a turn towards the end! It teaches your child how feelings can change for the better. It uses rhyme and repetition so your child learns new sounds.
Night Night Farm
Focus: rhyming, bedtime
This bedtime book calms your child by putting all the farm animals to bed. One by one, you say “night night” to each animal and they close their eyes as the day turns to night. The book uses calm and sleepy tones throughout. The stars in the book even glow in the dark.
What to consider when choosing books
If you’re buying a book at a bookstore, it’s easy to flip through the pages to make sure it’s a good fit for your child. The reality nowadays is that you are most likely purchasing these books online. A lot of sites (especially Amazon), offer a sneak peek. You can also find read-alouds on YouTube. You want to make sure you approve of the illustrations and lessons the book is teaching before giving it to your child. Chances are it’s fine, but it doesn’t hurt to check!
If your child is a baby or still has trouble turning the pages, I would stick to board books. It sounds silly, but paper cuts can happen so easily. The pages in board books are also easier to handle for little hands.
Consider the length of the book for your child. If your child cannot focus their attention for a long period of time, stick to shorter books until you think they are ready for more pages. You’ll get to know what your child can handle the more you sit and read with them.
Interactive books that have flaps or pieces that slide are great, but you’re child may not be ready for them. Teach them how to use them the first couple of times you read them. You never know what your child is capable of until you give them a chance!
Even if you are reading to your baby, you want them to be exposed to positive books that teach valuable lessons or skills. These range from sing-along and rhyming books to factual history books. Whatever your child is into!
Create a reading space
Make a cozy reading nook somewhere in your home! It can be as simple as putting a bean bag chair or a pillow on the ground with a basket of books nearby.
I keep a bin of books downstairs that my daughter will pick from. In her room, we made a built-in bookcase that stores all her books. The board books are on the shelves she can reach, and we’ve got books for when she is older on the top shelf. She has this bean bag chair right next to the bookcase. We use this space every day. Even when I am doing housework upstairs, I will often find her reading books independently in this nook.
To sum it up
The goal is for your child to love reading.
Make books fun and engaging! A lot of times when I read to my kids it’s right before naptime or bedtime, meaning that I, myself, am tired and ready for them to go to bed. Nevertheless, give it your all for a couple more minutes. Your children will see how exciting books can be, and it will set the ground running for their love of reading.
When my toddler was 1 year old, I caught her sitting in her bean bag chair reading a book to herself. She was holding the book upside down while making up words. I can’t tell you how proud I was to see her doing this! Even though the book was upside down, she was turning the pages, telling a story, and using different tones of voice. These are the first steps of reading.
