Reading is a beautiful thing. It is a way to connect with others, to spend time in a different world for a while, and to learn more about a language. How many times does a book use a word you do not know and you end up looking it up to learn the meaning? You can learn a lot about language from reading, you can learn new words, new ways of writing, and so much more. Reading helps kids develop language skills. It also mentions that reading to young children affect specific areas of the brain, which are critical for a child’s language development.
Imagine for a moment, that you can’t read a single word in the book and someone has to read it to you and uses words you only slightly recognize. Sounds pretty frustrating, doesn’t it? Now think about your toddler. Yes, they know some words, and they are talking more and more each day. But the words on a page are unrecognizable to them. Even the letters may still be something they do not yet understand.
But this is how they learn more words, letters, and how to read. Reading, in addition to lessons at school, will help your toddler start to understand language. As they watch the pages, look at the picture, and hear the words you are reading to them, they will begin to understand the different meanings and be able to make a connection between the words you are saying and the pictures on the page. A young child learns many words by listening to you talk, and when you read, they can make even more observations and connections.
Reading with your children offers many benefits. Everything from being more successful in school in the future to improved concentration. Nowadays, many kids and adults for that matter, think reading is boring or a waste of time. They obviously are doing it wrong. Reading can bring you to a different world, allow you to learn more about the world around you, and can improve imagination and creativity. Getting your children reading at a young age can help them learn to love it and can become a source of entertainment for your youngsters.
Finding the right books to read to your children isn’t difficult, but there are some that are classics and can help your child learn an important lessons. In this blog, we will give you a list of some of the best books to read to your kids!
Green Eggs and Ham
This Dr. Seuss classic is a great starter book for your munchkins, but so is every other Dr. Seuss book. Dr. Seuss books are great because they use simple rhymes, push imagination to the limits, and are fun for your kids. Hop on Pop is another great one. There are so many Dr. Seuss books that can help your child begin to develop an understanding for language. At Teach Beside Me, you can find a list of all the Dr. Seuss books and their reading levels, allowing you to find the right ones for your kiddos and help them improve their reading with these fun books.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Another classic. This book is fun to read, entertaining, and can help teach your children the days of the week. This hungry caterpillar can also teach your kids that caterpillars turn into butterflies! While this may not make sense to them right away, eventually they will be able to think about and remember that this is the circle of life for a caterpillar.
Skippyjon Jones
There are many different Skippyjon Jones books that your kids will love. These books are funny, clever, and bilingual! If you are trying to teach your children a second language, these books are a great place to incorporate both languages. These books are about a cat who thinks he is a chinchilla, so obviously you children will be entertained.
Elmer
Elmer the patchwork elephant is delightfully, colorfully different to all the other elephants and he’s usually the one who makes everyone laugh. Yet, one day, Elmer starts to feel like the odd one out and so leaves the elephants to go off on his own. Finding a berry bush, Elmer shakes the berries from the tree and rolls in them until he’s covered all over in their purply-grey juice. Now he’s elephant color, Elmer can return to the herd and fit in unnoticed – unfortunately, it’s rather boring being like everyone else and Elmer can’t help his irrepressible nature getting the better of him.
The first book in David McKee’s iconic series about a friendly, fun elephant and his adventures, Elmer is a true ambassador of inclusion, acceptance and celebrating difference. Though he might temporarily want to be just like all the other grey elephants, Elmer realizes that being his own colorful self is far more enjoyable – and everyone loves him, just the way he is.
Ten Little Fingers, and Ten Little Toes
A phenomenal book to read with your baby! Mem Fox uses rhyme and repetition to create a multicultural book about something all different babies have in common: ten little fingers and ten little toes. After each baby is introduced, the same reassuring refrain follows, like this first pair that opens the book: “There was one little baby / who was born far away. / And another who was born / on the very next day. / And both of these babies, / as everyone knows, / had ten little fingers / and ten little toes.” Mem includes interesting phrases like sneezes and chills, and truly divine. Together, she and illustrator Helen Oxenbury capture the feeling that there is something particularly captivating about those fingers and toes and something particularly lovable about all babies everywhere. “Do you have ten little fingers and ten little toes? Let’s count them.”
The Book with No Pictures
This is a different type of book, and while your children may not be too excited to hear you read without being able to look at any entertaining pictures, this picture is entertaining enough as it is. This picture less book is not only fun for children, but also fun for you! This book will have you making strange noises, saying bizarre words, and getting everyone laughing! This creative and unique book can help show your children that there is truly no limit to language and what you can do with it.
These are only a few of the many books that can help your children learn more about language, get them enjoying books, and can be fun for everyone to read.
At Rising Stride Child Care Centers, we read to our students daily, helping them gain a love for reading and develop an understanding for language. Pick up a few of these books and schedule a tour at Rising Stride today! Or contact us with any questions you may have.