New parents almost always intend to read to their baby to help build early language skills. But when you’re exhausted, it’s tempting to turn to screens and toys. This can cause new parents to feel disappointed in themselves. Often, the issue is a matter of habit.
The reality is that reading with your child doesn’t have to be a scheduled, formal event. Instead, you should adapt the reading time to work with your routine.
Here are seven start-time habits that new parents can actually keep without resorting to screens, toys, and other convenient distractions.
1: Read in Short Bursts
One of the fundamental errors in developing good reading habits is trying to sit down for long sessions with children in the stages of early development. Five-minute book bursts, where you find time in between organic baby cereal and playdates to quickly read through a children’s book, are more effective.
The idea of a reading session is somewhat misleading for new parents. Children between 0 and 3 simply don’t have the attention span to sit down for long periods of time to focus on stories. Instead, they prefer short children’s books that resolve quickly, and they like these stories to be repeated.
2: Try Incorporating Rhymes and Routines
Babies can process rhythm and rhymes before they can understand the meaning of books. So, pairing a book with classic finger plays like The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Round the Garden pairs the narrative with rhythmic language and engaging movement, engaging both auditory learning and motor learning at once.
Parents could pick one finger pattern per book and repeat it with the reading, which builds a sense of anticipation and reinforces learning.
3: Try Audiobooks
New parents often have their hands full, both literally and physically, when trying to handle cooking, cleaning, and taking care of a newborn. You simply don’t have free hands to hold the book, but audiobooks, such as those available on the Libby app, can help you have story time even when you’re busy.
You can mentally follow along and talk to your child while getting on with other tasks. These apps work well because they’re short and have catchy and engaging rhythms and rhymes.
4: Start a Reading Challenge
It’s easier to stick with something that’s part of a challenge. Particularly if you’re participating as part of a community.
The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge is a national program run through US public libraries, where the goal is to read 1,000 books with your child before they start school.
5: Choose the Right Books
Reading works best when you select books for the right age range. For example:
- 0-3 months: Babies can only focus 8 to 12 inches away, so high contrast black and white images with large, simple shapes work best
- 3-6 months: As color vision develops, bright colors and mirror books can hold your child’s attention.
- 6-12 months: Lift the flap and touch and feel books are great during this physically curious stage
- 12-18 months: Simple narratives featuring named characters and familiar everyday objects start to make sense as toddlers connect words to the world around them
6: Repeat the Same Book
You don’t need to buy mountains of books to keep a child entertained. You might not like repeating the same book over and over, but for your baby, the repetition helps to identify patterns and improve recall.
7: Don’t Stop Too Soon
If your child appears to lose interest, don’t be fooled. A baby looking away often means they’re processing what they’re hearing. You shouldn’t be discouraged because it means story time is working.
Good Storytime Habits GIve Your Child the RIght Start
When reading to a child, stay consistent and trust that your baby is taking in information. Even if you’re repeating the same book or if your child is looking away, it doesn’t mean they’re not engaged.
Even reading a single small child’s book daily can build language skills and encourage a lifelong reading habit. Story time can give your child a real boost in life.
If you’re interested in reading more about other topics related to early child care, check out the rest of our blog posts.