Womanthismonth.com 94 November 2024 LIFESTYLE | parenting You can never be too young to start learning. Ouiam El Hassani shares nine ways to boost your baby’s reading skills. As parents, we want to give our babies the best start in life, and one of the most crucial areas of development is early literacy. Building a strong foundation for language and literacy skills early on can have a lasting impact on a child’s future success. Engaging your baby in literacy activities not only fosters a love for reading but also promotes cognitive development, vocabulary acquisition and bonding moments. As an early-years teacher, I have compiled nine interactive and fun reading activities that will help you lay the groundwork for your baby’s lifelong journey with language and literacy. Let’s Learn, Baby! Storytime Snuggles Cuddle up with your little one and make storytime a regular part of your daily routine. Choose colourful board books or soft cloth books with simple, repetitive texts and vibrant illustrations. Engage your baby by using different voices, facial expressions and gestures as you read. Even though they may not understand all the words, your baby will start associating reading with love and affection. Sensory Play with Textures Babies learn through their senses, so provide them with opportunities to explore different textures. Create a sensory bin filled with soft fabric books, crinkly books and books with touch-and-feel elements. Let your baby touch, feel and interact with the textures as you talk about the different sensations they experience. Rhyme and Sing Expose your baby to the musicality of language through nursery rhymes and songs. The rhythmic patterns and repetition in nursery rhymes help develop phonological awareness — a critical skill for future reading success. Sing nursery rhymes, play finger games and use hand puppets to make the experience more engaging. Your baby will love the interaction and the soothing melodies. Peek-a-boo with Books Babies love surprises! Use peek-a-boo books to capture their attention and build anticipation. Lift the flaps, uncover hidden objects or reveal characters as you play peek-a-boo. This activity not only keeps your baby engaged but also introduces them to the concept of cause and effect. Picture Talk Take your baby on a visual adventure by engaging in picture talk. Choose books with colourful, large and clear illustrations. Point to objects and name them, talk about the colours, shapes and actions you see. Encourage your baby to imitate sounds or gestures from the pictures. This activity enhances their vocabulary and language skills while strengthening their visual comprehension.
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