What to Read for Different Age Groups

Technology is a constantly growing and changing aspect of our life that is creating a need for content and resources. To address this emerging need, parents should provide to their children opportunities to read and understand. Books are the first step into the world of reading and story telling. Although babies and toddlers do not read, you can help the child to bond with books. The discovery of a child's interest is an important move towards reading. Here are some guidelines for parents.

For Babies

• Books with large but simple pictures - to learn to focus their eyes
• Bold red, green, blue text or illustrations - to make connections between images on a page and the real thing
• Books in durable plastic or cloth material - to prevent baby from eating the book!
• Songs and nursery rhymes - to acquire specific sounds and rhythms of a language.

For Toddlers

• Simple storylines, large and bright pictures - to develop their sense of sight.
• Touch and feel books, first words books, flap book, toy books and talking books - to develop their sense of touch and sound.
• Stories that relate to the toddlers life experiences - to stimulate curiosity and learn about the environment.

For Preschoolers

Children are quite different as far as their abilities are concerned. Reading habits are no different. Some children may want more advanced reading and some simply take a longer time to develop a liking for books and reading.

• Let the preschooler choose the books he/she wants to read. But of course, some guidance is often necessary to determine their preferences and reading ability.
• Easy books with very few words (easy readers) - to begin reading independently.
• As many different kinds of books as possible - to develop language skills.
• Poems, traditional stories and other genres - to broaden their interest areas.

In sketching reading resources, one has to consider the following three factors as under:

• Reading level
• Reading interest
• Choice

Every child loves being read to and would be proud to read on his own eventually. A delightful learning experience is created when a child takes a book, becomes fascinated by its contents and shares it with others. He/she just needs the spark to light the fire of interest in reading.

Resources on reading

The following book and Internet resources provide valuable information to assist parents in raising children with the love to read for life.

• Helping your child to read by Jonathan Myers
• How well does your child read? by Ann Cook
• How to raise a reader by Elaine K. Mc Ewan
• Reading together: Parent's Handbook by Myra Barrs and Sue Ellis
• The Road to Reading by Theodore H. Mac Donald
• Read to me : Raising kids who love to read by Bernice E. Cullinan
• Raising a reader by Paul Kropp
• Montessori Read and Write by Lynne Lawrence
• 99 ways to get kids to love reading by Mary Leohardt