As a former teacher and librarian I thought it was only fitting for my first post to be about books! I swear I’ve been reading to Arabella since the day we brought her home, but those days are a little foggy.
We have our favorite storybooks that we love to snuggle in the rocking chair or in bed and read, but here I want to talk about the books I’ve intentionally selected to read with her for learning and the reasons why I love them.
What to look for in a book for babies and toddlers?
- I try to include a varied of books for Arabella that introduced her to people, animals, environment and things we experience everyday.
- Introduce alphabet and numbers.
- Lift and flap books are amazing for this age group. They not only allow your little one to engage with the book but build fine motor skills and teach object permanence.
- Touch and feel allows for sensory learning and exploration.
- Short sentence and a lot of repetition are extremely helpful for young learners.
Babies can learn the names of objects through repetition and will be able to point to objects in a book while you’re reading together long before they’re able to talk.
Books for early toddler learning
- Toes, Ears, & Nose! A Lift-the-Flap Book by Marion Dane Bauer
- My First Peek-a-Boo Animals by Eric Carle
- Find and Fit First Words by Make Believe Ideas
- 1, 2, 3 In the Sea by Sue DiCicco
- Little Green Frog Chunky Lift-a-Flap Board Book by Ginger Swift
- Mommy’s Big Helper: Touch and Feel by Rufus Downy
- My Truck Is Stuck by Kevin Lewis
- Where Is Baby’s Belly Button by Karen Katz
- Open the Garage Door by Christopher Santoro
- Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
Hope you can find some inspiration and a new title or two to add to your collection! These recommendations, plus more of our favorite books can be found here.
