Baby reading

It's never too early to start reading to your baby. Books are a great way to entertain your baby and to build a relationship with your child in the first months of life. Reading will help your child to learn about communication.

Communication involves listening to and understanding the messages of others and being able to respond with a clear message. Producing a clear message involves the use of speech sounds and the use of language through words and sentences, plus non-verbal behaviours like facial expressions and gestures.

Why read to my baby?

• Babies learn that reading is important when you hold them and talk to them about pictures in a book.
• Babies enjoy being read to because they like the sound of your voice and they like having you close for some special time together.
• Babies enjoy looking at the pictures and listening to the rhythm of your voice long before they can understand the words.

How can I read with my baby?

• Try to create a time for reading with your child every day when your baby is alert and showing interest in what is happening around him. It may be a good idea to read at the same time every day or in the same special chair.
• Babies see most clearly at about 20 to 25 cms, and when they are very young they like to look at clear, simple shapes which are brightly coloured.
• When reading, try to look both at the book and your baby. Point to the pictures and talk about the things your baby is looking at.
• When reading aloud, try to use your voice in many ways to make the story-time as interesting for your baby as possible - loud and soft, happy and sad.
• If you find books your baby loves, read them over and over and try to use the same reading voice each time so they get used to the pattern.
• You will need to be persistent when reading to your baby, as the length of time your baby will be able to attend to a story will grow over time.

Don't use special books with thin paper pages. All babies love tearing paper.

Local Resources

• Library Storytime and Rhymetime sessions are run regularly at most local libraries so why not contact your local library and ask about Storytime and Rhyme time for your child?
• If you have concerns about your child's early communication development, check with your GP, Child Health Nurse or Speech Pathologist.

Source: Adapted from Parenting Easy Guide “Reading with Babies” with permission © Parenting SA, Government of South Australia. For the complete document visit www.cyh.com
Disclaimer: This page and the information it contains is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified practitioner.

The following links have been selected by Lower Great Southern Communities for Children team. We have made every effort to select relevant sites that are informative and accurate. The material linked is to provide information only. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified practitioner therefore if you have any concerns see your GP, Practice Nurse or Child Health Nurse.

One program in the region that encourages reading for babies is:

Mem Fox (Australian children’s story book author) encourages reading aloud to babies and children.

Contact your local library to find out 'What's on' and 'What's available' for 0-5 year old children and their families (see below for an example of a typical regional library)

Albany Public Library offers several services for the 0-5 age group:

• A large Junior Kindy Collection for borrowing (including books, audio & visual resources).

• Better Beginnings program, run in partnership with the Health Department. All newborns in the Albany area receive a 'Better Beginnings' gift bag (consisting of a book and literacy support material) usually during their six-week visit from the Child Health Nurse.

• 'Rhymetime' an early literacy program designed for 0-3 year olds - it uses rhythm and rhyme to engage children and develop early literacy (see link to Rhymetime booklet).

• 'Storytime' an early literacy program designed for children 3-5 years of age - it features story reading using quality resources to generate interest in literacy and promotes active participation/interaction with text.