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Home › Articles › Family › Fun at the Library

Fun at the Library

Cultivating a Love of Reading in Young Children

By Carolyn Campbell

Pages:  1  2  

  • Read to your child regularly. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends daily reading to children from 6 months of age. Reading to a child for 20 minutes a day influences how a child learns to read and how proficient he becomes in reading, says Anne Irish, executive director of the Association of Booksellers for Children. "Set time aside and turn off the TV," she says. "Hold the child on your lap, which helps build a close relationship while reading." You may also consider choosing a favorite chair or special place to read.
  • Take time to explore the library with your child. Children are naturally attracted to materials intended for them, according to the American Library Association. By exploring books that attract their interest, asking questions and learning their own answers, children learn to think for themselves, compare and contrast different opinions and to analyze what they see and hear. Exploring the library together also provides a chance to teach your child library etiquette, says Mattheus. "Libraries have a place to return materials that you decide not to take home," she says. "Just as you wouldn't visit someone's house, take books off a shelf and go home without putting them back, please clean up after your child at the library by putting books on the 'to be shelved' shelf. This shows kids that they need to behave and be polite at the library."

    • Choosing Books for Babies

    Cynthia Richey, president of the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, offers the following criteria for parents to consider in choosing books for babies:

    • Find an age-appropriate subject or theme.
    • Look for books with clear, uncluttered illustrations, e.g., bold patterns, bright pictures.
    • Look for books that allow for easy physical manipulation such as easy-to-turn-pages, flaps or other movable parts.

    According to Richey, the best books for babies include:

    • Rhythm and rhymes, Mother Goose, lullabies
    • Concept books point and say with clear pictures
    • Sturdy board books
    • Cloth books
    • Touch books with interactive textures
    • Simple picture storybooks

    Pages:  1  2  


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