A Little About My Baby / Toddler and Myself
I am 38 years old and have two children, a 4-year-old girl and a 22-month-old boy. Both love reading and are always getting out books to play with and look at.
What I Did:
From the day I started weaning them, I read them a story after every meal, even breakfast. My little boy loved That's Not My Robot. They also then learned to sit at the table and not get down straight away.
They have their own section in the library and Seb had an easy way to get at a separate pile of his books.
How I Did It:
They soon realised, I suppose, that if they brought me or their dad a book they could always get our attention straight away as we love reading, too.
I don't believe reading stories should be kept to bedtimes.
My 4-year-old daughter and I have just read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Narnia book) together.
We have all sorts of books to choose from. The Gruffalo is always a favorite and the pop-up book My Fairy Princess Palace by Louise Comfort is great fun for a 4 year old.
My boy enjoys First 100 Words by Bright Baby. He brings it over and now he tells me the names of animals, cars and other photos in book.
Lessons Learned
- Keep books within easy to reach places.
- Always read a book if your children bring it to you.
- Read at meal times, not just at bedtimes. I started at 5 months reading to them at all mealtimes.
