Books can help your child:

• Use her creativity and imagination.
• Learn about new people, places, and ideas.
• Learn new words and how to use language.
• Explore thoughts and feelings about different things.

Teaching your child about books at an early age helps her to read earlier and do better in school. Books also help you and your child grow closer. One way to help your child learn to love reading is to show that you enjoy reading.

You and your child can find good books at your local library. If you have a young child, take her to story hour. If your child is older, make sure she has a library card. Ask your librarian to suggest books for your child’s age and grade level.

Infants (0 – 18 months)

Your newborn will enjoy just hearing your voice. You can read your favorite novel aloud while feeding or cuddling with your baby. The time you spend reading to your baby is far more important than the book itself.

As your baby gets older, read to her every day. Choose books that are durable (cloth or board books). Let your child hold the book in her hands. Pick books with bright colors and large simple pictures. Books that let you and your child make sounds (such as animal sounds, trains, singing, or rhyming) are fun to read. Reading the same books over and over will help your baby to recognize and name familiar objects. She will enjoy feeling the rough and smooth textures found in “touching” books and listening to the rhythm of poems and nursery rhymes. You’ll be surprised at how quickly she will learn to join in the rhymes and songs.

Toddlers (18 months to 3 years)

During this period, your child will know some words to favorite nursery rhymes by heart. She may ask you to read the same book over and over. This repetition is a natural part of learning. Encourage your child to pick new books but save time for her favorites. So, read “Goodnight Moon” for the hundredth time and know that each time you do, it reinforces your child’s love of reading.

At this age, your child enjoys naming things. She will also like bright colors, shapes, rhyming words, and funny-sounding words. Books are a good way to teach about size, shape, and color. Let her open flaps, ask questions, and make comments. Books made of cloth or thick cardboard are easy to clean and last longer than paper books.

Toddlers have short attention spans, so choose books that are short, simple, and have lots of pictures. A 3-minute story at bedtime may be best for your child. Engage your child. Look at the pictures together and ask, “What’s do you think is going on?”

Preschool (3 to 6 years)

Preschoolers love to ask “why.” Your child may be interested in books about the weather, nature, animals, and children in other cultures. Books can also help your child with fears or feelings. Choose books that show actions you want her to imitate, such as getting along with siblings or taking care of toys. Preschoolers love stories with repetition, rhymes, and funny sounding words. Make sure the books have happy, clear-cut endings.

Preschool children learn reading skills while watching you read. Your child starts to figure out that printed symbols have certain meanings. It may help if you point to the words as you read them. Books that take 5 to 10 minutes to read and have just a few printed lines on a page are best for most young children. Soon your child will start to read for herself.

Younger School-Age (6 to 9 years)

Six-year-olds learn new words and new concepts every day. Choose books with simple words and strong, simple storylines. Choose books on topics that your child enjoys and that fit her reading level.

Reading books that are too hard can be frustrating and make your child feel bad about herself. It can also make your child dislike reading. Ask your child’s teacher for advice on helping her learn to read.

As your child’s reading skills improve, she will start reading longer, more involved books. She may like stories about family, friends, and school. She may enjoy stories about children from other countries, simple biographies, fictional stories, and collections of jokes, riddles, and tongue-twisters. Your child will probably want to read books with a main character who is the same gender as she is.

As your child learns to read, be sure to give her lots of praise. Your praise and support can help her enjoy reading and learning even more.

Older School-Age (9 to 12 years)

At this age, it is not unusual for a child to spend hours reading books about things they are interested in, such as magic, model making, or animals. Your child’s interests may change from day to day. Let your child choose the books she is interested in.

She may like books about mysteries, kids dealing with challenges, and books with plot twists. Adventure and fantasy books are popular. Children of this age like stories about explorers, artists, scientists, and heroes. You might give your child books you enjoyed when you were a child and talk about why you enjoyed them.

To get your child excited about reading, it helps to:

• Set a time to read together every day.
• Reread lines your child found funny.
• Take turns. Let your child read to you sometimes.
• Ask your child what she thinks about what happens in the story. What would your child do in the same situation?
• Leave books in your child’s room and give your child her own reading light.

If your child enjoys a book, check for other books by the same author. You can also ask the librarian at your public library to help you select books for your child.