Here Are 7 Easy Tips for Choosing Good Books for Your Baby
Do you know how to choose a good book to read aloud to your baby? A book that engages your baby AND you?
There are sooooo many books out there that you could read to your baby. Most are cute and colorful.
But, they often don’t really engage your baby’s mind and senses with interesting ideas and lessons to be learned.
So, today we will talk about 7 easy tips for choosing good books for your baby.
These tips will help you choose quality books that offer educational concepts. But they will also be incredibly entertaining and pleasant for you and your baby to read together.
In this post, you will also find a partial list of books that are read at the end of Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) Baby Class.
Tip #1 for Choosing a Book for Learning and Fun
Choosing a good book to read to your baby is not really difficult. So, think about how you choose a book to read.
Usually, you read the first couple of pages to see if it captures your attention IMMEDIATELY. If it does, you likely will decide to read it and won’t be disappointed.
You can use this same method to choose a read aloud book for your baby. Keep in mind that you will probably read through the entire book.
If it takes more than 3-5 minutes, it is probably too long for infants and small babies. Save it for a little later.
If it kept your attention all the way through, chances are good it will keep your baby’s attention, too. So you and your baby can have fun growing, reading, and learning together.
Tips #2-7 Checklist for Choosing a Good Book for Your Baby
Here is a simple checklist to help you find quality books for your baby.
2. subject matter or theme and the text are appropriate for your child’s age
3. pictures are clear, colorful, and in contrasting colors (this allows the the pictures and words to stand out from the background of the page)
4. book is easy to handle and strong (i.e. think board books)
5. words, pictures, and overall design of the book make sense together
6. text has a rhythm and/or rhyme, as well as, patterns and repetition in the words and pictures
7. touch-and-feel sensory books are especially good for newborns and infants
SECE Baby Class Book List
SECE Baby Class books are very carefully chosen. Consequently, they are educational and especially engaging for baby and you.
This list is ever changing. Baby Class teachers add new books al the time. However, this list of books is read regularly.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (HarperCollinsPublishers)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Scholastic Inc.)
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle (Scholastic Inc.)
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle (Scholastic Inc.)
Where Is Green Sheep? by Mem Fox (Harcourt Inc.)
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett (Simon & Schuster)
Bunnies Near and Far by Sarah Jones (Blue Manatee Press)
Orange Triangle Fox by Sarah Jones (Blue Manatee Press)
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss (HarperCollins Publishers)
Oh, A-Hunting We Will Go by John Langstaff (Aladdin)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. (Henry Holt & Company, Inc.)
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. (Henry Holt & Company, Inc.)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin and John Archambault (Simon & Schuster)
Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin and John Archambault (Simon & Schuster)
The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson & illustrated by Julie Morstad (www.simplyreadbooks.com)
The Napping House by Audrey Wood (HoughtonMifflinHarcourt)
Start You Baby’s Library Now
There are several ways to start a library for your baby. If you are expecting, board books are always good to put on your registry list.
Of course, Amazon is convenient and usually less expensive than most sources.
However, small businesses are still struggling to get back on their feet. It would be extremely helpful to support your local book store and buy there.
The used book store, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other similar type stores are really good for getting the books at a bargain basement prices.
Most of the time, these books are just gently used. They should survive one or two more children!
Also, don’t discount what you might find at those neighborhood yard sales, either.
Regardless of how you build your baby’s library, be sure to plan a regular time every day to read to your baby.
Give Your Child the Gift of One Million Words-The “Million Word Gap” Study
I recently read about a study done at Ohio State University’s Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy.
I will leave you with this list of sobering statistics about reading to children. It will make you want to run out and buy a whole shelf full of books!
So, based on certain calculations, here are how many words children will have heard by the time they are 5 years old:
Never read to: 4,662 words
Read to once or twice per week: 63,570 words
Read to three to five times per week: 169,520 words
Read to daily: 296,660 words
If 5 books a day are read to a child: 1,483,300 words!!
Did you get that last number? Over 1.4 MILLION words! What a gift to give your child. It really is so easy to do. But you must plan to do it and be consistent.
Suzuki Early Childhood Education Baby Class
I mentioned the Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) Baby Class at the beginning of this post. The music, songs, actions, and stories read to the children contribute to brain development and a child’s overall growth.
The program is also designed to guide parents with their daily interactions with their child. SECE Baby Class is not just another ECE music class.
It follows the Suzuki Philosophy and truly wants to deepen the relationship between you and your child. You will learn and grow together.
You can learn more about the Suzuki Philosophy, the SECE Concepts, and get “bonus” Baby Class activities to do with your child. Get your “7 Steps to a Deeper Relationship With Your Baby.
It is a free resource from Your Musical Baby to help you and your child begin your “Beautiful Heart Musical Journey”.
Dr. Shinichi Suzuki said it best when he spoke of children hearing fine music. I
“Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline, and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”
Shinichi Suzuki
I don’t think he would mind if I modified his quote slightly to say:
“If children are read good books from the day of their birth and learn to read them, they develop sensitivity, discipline, and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”
On the “Beautiful Heart Musical Journey” with you,
Susan
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2 thoughts on “7 Easy Tips for Choosing Good Books For Babies”
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Great post! I share that study every year at open house so parents will understand the impact of taking the time to read with their child each day. As a teacher, I can always tell which children are being read to at home as their comprehension skills and vocabulary are well-developed.
Hi Cheryl.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing how you talk about this with the parents at your school open house. I had heard about this study, but never really knew the actual numbers. It is an “eye-opener”!