Make Reading Part of Every Day - Read at bedtime or on the bus.

Have Fun - Children who love books learn to read. Books can be part of special time with your child.

A Few Minutes is OK - Young children can only sit for a few minutes for a story, but as they grow, they will sit longer.

Talk About The Pictures - You do not have to read the book to tell a story.

Let Your Child Turn The Pages - Babies need board books and help to turn pages, but your three year old can do it alone.

Show Your Child The Cover Page - Explain what the story is about.

Show Your Child The Words - Run your finger along the words as you read them.

Make the Story Come Alive - Create voices for the story characters and use your body to tell the story.

Ask Questions About The Story - What do you think will happen next? What is this?

Let Your Child Ask Questions About the Story - Use the story as an opportunity to engage in conversation and to talk about familiar activities and objects.

Let Your Child Tell the Story - Children as young as three years old can memorize a story and many children love an opportunity to express their creativity.

Infants Birth -12 Months Like:

• Board books with photos of babies
• Brightly colored board books to touch and taste
• Books with pictures of familiar objects—balls, bottles
• Small books sized for small hands

Younger Toddlers 12-24 Months Like:

• Sturdy board books they can handle and carry
• Books with photos and pictures of children doing familiar things—sleeping, eating, playing
• Goodnight books for bedtime
• Books about saying goodbye and hello
• Books with only a few words on the page
• Books with simple rhymes or predictable text
  

Older Toddlers 24-36 Months Like:

• Books with board pages—but also books with paper pages
• Silly books and funny books
• Rhymes, rhythms, repetitious text—books they can learn by heart
• Books about children and families
• Books about making friends
• Books about food
• Books about animals
• Books about trucks
• Word books

Pre-Schoolers 3-5 Years Like:

• Books that tell stories
• Books about kids that look like them and live like them—but also books about different places and different ways of living
• Books about going to school, books about making friends
• Books with simple text they can memorize
• Counting books, alphabet books, vocabulary books
  
  
  Source: Reach Out and Read National Center
  
  

Top 5 Tips

Make Reading Part of Every Day
Read at bedtime or on the bus.

A Few Minutes is OK - Young children can only sit for a few minutes for a story, but as they grow, they will sit longer.

Talk About The Pictures - You do not have to read the book to tell a story.