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Give the gift of reading - a gift that lasts for life!
The Benefits of Reading
Reading is an important life long skill that we can give to our children from the moment we are born. Reading can challenge our mind, provoke our thoughts, take us to places, worlds, times and events that only a book ever could. Reading can give us all types of information and introduce us to people that we may never meet, it can expand our knowledge and give us ideas that spark our creativity! The benefis of reading are endless.
When a new baby is on the way, a parents thoughts are on providing the essentials - the diapers and the wipes, the clothes, the crib, the stoller and babyseat! Books can be just as essential as these items....yet go around baby superstores and this will be the last thought on your mind - though as in our case, an over enthusiastic store assistant may drag you over to one of the many essential early "learning" items - the music you play while your baby is in utero, the Spanish for newborn DVD's....all of which have claims they work - claims made by the manufacturer or the result of a study paid for by the company!! Ask any Child Psychologist about these claims and watch their reaction...now ask about books, the benefits of which are documented and tested!!
Why do I need to read to my child?
In 1995 The Commission on Reading released the results of two years work - going through thousands of studies related to reading and its single most important finding was related to a parent reading to their child - reading aloud was found to be the biggest key to giving a child the basis to become a strong and compentant reader years down the line! Reading aloud also has many other postive benefits including but not limited to -
- It creates a bonding experience
- You as a parent become a positive role model for the act of reading
- It expands the attention span of a child who may never be drawn to books if a parent doesn't engage them early on.
- It is a fun experience for the child and they come to look forward to their one on one time with a parent who reads to them
- Reading can help a child with good grammer, new vocabulary.
The list goes on and on.....
Building a library
This can begin before baby is born. one of the nicest ideas I saw recently came in the form of an invite to a baby shower. It asked that everyone who attend bring a favorite baby book with a message of love to the baby....it is a great way to get a library going and a cute idea for something different at a baby shower. It will also give the child some wonderful gifts to treasure as they read those messages years down the line.
Join a book club. This was something I did early on. These clubs can be reasonable and you get a whole bunch of books to begin with , usually with the only commitment begin to buy 2 more books in 2 years. You also get great discounts, great age appropriate suggestions and often free shipping if you order about $25 in one go.
Check out book sales in major book shops...you can find great deals here, especially on seasonal themed books after the season is over! Also check out their own special compilations such as Fairy Stories which are a great deal!
Discount stores - those big names that have everything from clothes to bedding....they ofter have a great selection of books at rock bottom prices...I have found many Baby Einstein Books and Disney titles for nothing!
Of course - ebay also has a great selection....I would check the listing for shipping costs which can bump up the price and condition, but there are some great finds if you look close enough:
Some top pics
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle.
I remember reading this book as a little girl...and now I am reading it to my daughter....this book is a favorite for many having sold over 12 million copies and been translated into 20 languages! It follows a little caterpillar on his hungry journey to becoming a butterfly....the bright colors, simple text and effects of this book will capture a childs imagination.
Tails - Matthew Van Fleet
A highly interactive board book with something to see or do on every page. this will capture your childs interest to get involved with a book. Meet a plethora of animals who have different textured tails which move, swat and even stink (yep, we have a scratch and sniff scunk in this one folks!!). Your child can feel the tails , pull tabs to create action and learn about different animal types.
The Rainbow Fish - Marcus Pfister.
This is a simply beautiful book and this term reflects not only the pictures which are simply stunning - soothing sea blues and reflective fish scales, but also the story which has a message about sharing - a key skill that makes life easier once mastered! A great bedtime story.
Chika Chika Boom Boom - Bill Martin,JR. and John Archambault
A bright catchy book with rhyming text which is great to read to small children....this one follows 26 letters as they climb up a tree....so a wonderful key to the alphabet as it deals with the letter seqence. This also features very bold colors which may also help draw your child into the story. There is also another version of this that deals with numbers called 'Chika, Chika 1,2,3.'
The Baby Einstein Series.
Most parents are familiar with this series....which also includes DVD's , toys and flashcards amongst other items. There are so many books in this range which look at everything from colors and numbers, to animals and feelings. Some of may favorites inckude their bathtime books - one of the best ways to help your child read is to have books available everywhere - in the car, in their room , in the family room and yes, even in the bath! Mimi's Toes is a great waterproof bath book that follows little Mimi through her bath and on into bed - ech page finishes with the same catchy line and my daughter soon picked up on this and would repeat the phrase! See How I feel is another great book with a little mirror on each page - it goes over feelings and the expressions related to them which your child can then mimic using the mirror as a guide. There are so many books in this range that you are sure to find one that is right for you!
Mommy Loves her Baby / Daddy Loves his Baby - Tara Jaye Morrow
A personal favorite as this is two books in one...one one side you have the story of the bond between all sorts of mommies and their babies....flip it over adn we have many daddies and theier babies!! This has beautiful bright illustrations and fantastic rhyming text....great for mommy to read...then hand off to daddy for a great family reading experience!
Summary
There are so many books out there and many ways to build a cheap inexpensive library (and do not forgot your local library too as a wonderful free resource). These are just a handful of suggestions of the mnay wonderful books out there for you and your child to enjoy, to learn and to grown in your understanding of the world and each other!
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