Reading to your baby
Share books with your baby from the very first weeks – it’s a great
way to bond.
‘Bookstart’
Your health visitor or public health nurse will give you a Bookstart pack of free books when your baby is around 16 weeks old. The pack will give you some great ideas about good books to choose for your baby – as well as two free books to get you started.
Tips for reading
- talk to your baby about what you see on the page as well as reading the text. She will enjoy learning about the different objects she can see
- make noises to match the pictures – ‘The duck says quack, the dog says woof’
- match up what you see in the books to your baby’s own experiences – ‘Look there’s a picture of a dog, we saw a dog on our walk today’
- don’t worry about sounding silly – babies love to hear different voices, expressions and sounds
- don’t force your baby to look at books if she’s not interested – try again later
- leave her books out where she can reach them, so they become part of playtime – and don’t worry if she chews them!
- keep your baby amused on a journey, or in a queue, by bringing a book to share.
For lots more ideas to help you develop your baby's develoment through reading, visit the Play, Talk Read website.
Bookstart Rhymetime
Singing rhymes and songs to your baby is great fun, and good for her development. Hearing your voice is comforting and will help with her own speech and language development. Bookstart Rhymetime sessions are a great way to join up with other parents and babies in your area. Ask at your local library for details, or visit the Bookstart website.
