During this phase of development, your baby will begin to show interest in sharing a picture book with you. As your baby’s vision develops, she is able to recognize brightly colored illustrations and bold photographs. You can foster her awareness of objects on a page by choosing books that have pictures of objects, animals or people that interest her. You will have fun introducing your baby to bright illustrations and encouraging her to help turn the pages. All of these experiences are helping your child on her reading readiness journey.
- a chunky board or fabric book with simple illustrations
Step 1: Choose a book or family photo album that has pictures of objects that interest your baby. For example, if your baby enjoys animals, choose a book that has bright pictures of farm, zoo or forest animals.
Step 2: Sit comfortably with your baby in your lap. You can also lie down next to your baby so that she is able to see you turn the pages of the soft or chunky book.
Step 3: Focus your baby’s attention to the picture on each page and talk about what you see. Comment on the colors, shapes and items in the picture. For example, if there is a picture of a barn on the page, comment on the door, window, roof, and anything else displayed in the picture.
Step 4: Encourage your baby to point to the picture. For example, you might say, “Where is the cow?”
Step 5: Let your baby help you turn the pages.
Step 6: Babies at this age are often in constant motion, so keep your book sharing sessions to short intervals of three to four minutes. Enjoy these short sessions together and try them several times throughout the day!
