As a parent, you want to give your children every opportunity to succeed. Helping them develop a love of reading from an early age is one of the best ways to do so.

Benefits of reading for children

Regular reading benefits your child in many ways, including the following:

• Sparking your child’s imagination and creativity
• Strengthening your child’s language skills and vocabulary
• Helping your child learn about the world around them
• Fostering a love of learning
• Building the bond between you and your child

Choosing the best books for your child

Here are our top five tips for choosing the best books for your child and inspiring a love of reading:

1. Start with what they know and love
If your child is already interested in a particular topic, start there. There are sure to be books that explore their interests. Reading about topics they love will inspire a positive attitude towards reading.

2. Find books at their level
It’s important to find books that are challenging but not too difficult. If a book is too hard, your child will become frustrated and lose interest. If it’s too easy, they’ll get bored. So, look for books that are just right for your child’s reading level.

Babies

Babies enjoy simple, colourful books. Look for card or fabric books with minimal text and plenty of pictures. Babies love to look at pictures of other babies, animals and everyday objects, and they love exploring different textures and sounds when they read.

Toddlers

For toddlers, look for books with short stories and repetitive phrases. Toddlers enjoy hearing the same story over and over again, so it’s important to find books they won’t get bored of (and you won’t, either). Also, look for books with thick pages that are easy for little hands to turn.

Preschoolers

For preschoolers, look for slightly more challenging books that align with their interests. Preschoolers are starting to learn how to read, so it’s important to find age-appropriate books. Look for books with simple words and sentences, as well as illustrations that support the text.

3. Get recommendations
Talk to your child’s educators or librarian or to other parents for book inspiration. Once you find a few promising titles, read them yourself first to make sure they’re appropriate for your child.

4. Make it fun
Reading should be enjoyable, so don’t turn it into a chore. Let your child pick their favourite books, and set aside some time each day for reading together. You can even turn it into a game by challenging them to find certain words or objects in the book.

5. Set a good example
Children are more likely to develop a love of reading if they see you reading. Try to set aside time each day for reading yourself, and let your child see you enjoying it. Following these tips will help you choose the best books for your child and set them on the path to a lifelong love of reading.

At Learning Ladder, your child can read an engaging and age-appropriate selection of books during group and free-play time. To learn more about our educational programs or learning resources, please get in touch with us today.