Creating a love of reading is important, even at a young age. One year olds may be difficult to read to due to a short attention span and always wanting to move, but it is just as important to read to them as any other age. Starting your child out by reading to them at a young age will greatly improve their ability to read and general success when they are school age.
Read to your child everyday, starting when they are a baby. Children will start to understand and will eventually be able to sit through a story. Start slow and build up your child’s attention span. From a teacher’s viewpoint, I can tell which children are read to at home and they tend to be way more successful in the classroom!
There is a lot of information on how a toddler’s brain develops during these critical years. A new study shows children should read 1,000 books before kindergarten. This is actually simple to do, only one book a day for three years will get this accomplished! Reading to children is good for their language development and brain development.
Tips for reading with a one year old:
- Read short and simple books.
- Use board books. You don’t have to worry about ripping pages or ruining books.
- Encourage your child to interact with books even when you aren’t reading. Keep BOARD books available to them at all times.
- Show your child how to properly handle books, like how to gently turn pages and how to hold books. They mirror what they see.
- Point out the pictures in the book while reading.
- Point to the words as you read.
- Hold the pages of the book until you are ready to turn the page.
- Let your child turn the pages when you have finished the page.
- Let your child pick the books they want to read. (I normally pick a few but let my daughter pick a few that she wants to read)
- Have a special reading place, like a specific chair, and sit your child on your lap.
- Extend simple books by asking questions or asking your child to point out things in the book.
My daughter is 20 months old and absolutely loves books. We started reading to her when she was younger, but the one year old range can be difficult to have children sit still long enough to read a story. This is why I like simple, quick reads. They will keep her attention just long enough, then she can pick another book to read. I read to her in a chair and let her down to pick another book from a book shelf, which she loves to do and keeps her moving so she is able to sit for the book.
Here is the list of my favorite books for one year olds.
First 100 Words
My daughter loves this book. She loves to point at all the pictures. We also use it to practice saying words. The book is full of words and pictures that she hears and uses everyday, which she can point out. It also has animals, so we can learn and practice animal sounds. This is a book that she loves to read over and over again. We have the big version and the smaller board book version. Both are great!
Small Board Books
I love these small board books. They are small enough for little hands to carry around. They are also super simple and quick reads. My daughter carries these books around everywhere. They are also great for teaching simple words like motion words or colors. These come in a set of 12 little books!
Bedtime Books
I like to have a routine at bedtime. We usually read a few books right before we go to bed. This is a great way to build a routine and slow down before bedtime. I always like to read these two books every night. We have been reading them since she was a little baby. Although she always picks out more books to read, I keep these in the routine.
Lift a Flap Books
My daughter LOVES these books. These were a favorite when she was a younger baby and still today. We read them all the time, even if it isn’t the holiday. The books have thick pages and thick flaps. It is easy to turn the pages and move the flaps. My daughter loves all books with flaps, but some books have flaps that are easy to rip. That’s why I love these books, I don’t have to worry about her ripping the books or flaps.
Eric Carle Books
My daughter also enjoys Eric Carle books. The text is simple and the illustrations are gorgeous and eye catching. These are books that we can continue to read as she gets older but she also enjoys right now. She particularly likes the holes in the caterpillar book and enjoys saying the animal sounds in Brown Bear.
Touch and Feel Books
Most people think of touch and feel books for babies, but they are also great for toddlers. My daughter still enjoys reading touch and feel books. The text is usually simple and we can talk about how each page feels (soft, hard, rough, sticky, etc). These are a few of her favorite touch and feel books.
Dr. Seuss Books
Normally, most Dr. Seuss books are a little too long for one year olds. I wouldn’t typically recommend them for young toddlers, but this is one of my daughter’s favorites. The text is simple and she loves the illustrations. As she gets older, she is able to sit longer and really enjoys the rhyming and rhythm of Dr. Seuss books. There are a few Dr. Seuss books that are short simple reads that I think one year olds would love!
Learning Books
I love alphabet and number books. My daughter doesn’t quite understand, but we point at the alphabet while we read and she can repeat a few of the letters. We also love to practice counting. These abc and number books also have flaps which my daughter loves! Repetition is good for children even when they don’t really understand, eventually she will be ready to repeat the alphabet and numbers and we already have so many repetitions!
I also enjoy any books that teach colors or animal sounds, or anything else educational. I also love the Baby Einstein book about animals for being a little more interactive. She loves pushing the buttons and hearing the animal sounds!
I hope this list of books helps you find some favorites for your child! Remember, no matter what book, reading to your child is the key to future success in school!
Happy Reading!
Thank you for Continually Learning with us!
Kyle and Sarah
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