Tips for Board Book Reading With Your Baby

Reading board books is the best way to develop your baby’s foundational language skills. Exposing your baby to board books will help them develop both receptive and expressive language skills. If you want to build your babies understanding of important words, important people in their lives and common actions, add daily story time to your routine.

I am an early childhood educator and a children’s author, and here are my top tips for board book reading with your baby.

Pick the right book

STAY MY BABYOrca Books

Pick board books with simple, bright clear images. Babies love books with bright photos! Choose books on topics relevant to your baby’s world, that allow for lots of labelling (ie, ‘baby’s eyes’ ‘baby’s nose’)

Point and Pause

Point and tap on the page and label, “baby’s fingers!” and then repeat,“baby’s fingers!”

Then pause, so your baby can take this in. With their finger, help them point, label again, “baby’s fingers!” and repeat. This engagement allows for lots of fun interaction with you and your baby. And before you know it, your baby will be pointing independently, and eventually, labelling on their own.

When your baby is familiar with this page and the labeling, pull back even further (in ECE talk, we call this ‘scaffolding’) and ask, “Where are baby’s fingers?” when you baby points, say “There are baby’s fingers!”

STAY MY BABYOrca Books

STAY MY BABYOrca Books

Add Actions and Gestures

When reading a page like this, from STAY MY BABY (Orca) you could say, “wiggle, wiggle wiggle” and wiggle with your baby. (and repeat!)

This is such a fun way to introduce your baby to the term, ‘Wiggle.’ Bonus- Your baby will associate reading with enjoyment!

Add Sounds!

Go on, make those raspberries! Your baby will love it! And using this page from my board book, STAY MY BABY as an example, you could say, “Baby says, Ahhhhh!” (and repeat!) and then say, “Baby says…(add that pause and look at your baby) “Ahhh!”

Your baby will soon be vocalizing a sound every time you get to this page!

Orca Books STAY MY BABY

Babies learn best when they feel safe, secure and loved. So, wrap your baby in your arms and read. You will help your baby develop foundational language skills and you will both look forward to this precious time together. Because, even though they will always be your baby, they will only fit in your arms for a little while.

Interested in adding STAY MY BABY(Orca Books) to you baby’s bookshelf? Order here: https://www.amazon.ca/Stay-My-Baby-Lana-Button/dp/1459836154/ref=sr_1_1?crid=M995TG7JJN5Z&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OnX7UZed9-OUeEUWXVrejr_YKqhncnEzPqjz