Reading is a wonderful activity that has many benefits when introduced to a baby at an early stage. It promotes early learning, provides attractive visual stimuli, improves grasping ability and encourages imagination.
Are you wondering how to introduce your baby to the wonderful world of books, what kind of reading material to offer to them and how to make the activity interesting for them? Let’s start by setting up a wonderful reading nook for your baby. We promise it’s going to be your baby’s favourite part of home!
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Essentials For Your Baby’s Reading Nook
1. Reading Chair
Encourage the habit of sitting in the right posture while reading. Choose a low-lying chair that your baby can easily use on their own, or move out of when they want a change in position. Preferably, place a chair next to your baby’s for yourself too, so that you can accompany them while reading and let them imitate you.
2. Adequate Light
Make sure that your child’s reading space is well-lit. Ditch floor lamps, table lamps and bedside reading lights when setting up a space for the baby to avoid mishaps like tugging on wires, touching the hot bulbs etc. Choose the good old tube light or any kind of higher-placed light source. And if you are able to set up the space beside a window, there’s nothing better than natural light during the day.
3. A Clean Carpet
Let your baby explore their reading area in the way they like. Let them spread out their books, touch and feel them, and choose which one to pick up and read. A carpet will ensure a clean area and makes the floor safe for the baby to roll around and even fall without getting hurt.
4. Some Wall Art
Get some fun charts and stickers for the wall in their reading nook. It could be animal stickers, or the alphabet chart, some fun visuals with numbers or anything at all that will make the corner lively, and encourage your child to spend time there.
5. Personalise Their Space
Your baby is going to have a deep connection with this nook. They are going to form a beautiful connection with the little world of their imagination when they sit to read a book. And this connection will go on for years to come. Make their reading space personal to them by adding an element to make it their own. It could be a photograph, their name framed on the wall, or any other creative idea you have.
6. A Sturdy Book Rack
Let the habit of organisation sink in from the very beginning. Initially, you will have to demonstrate to your baby how books are arranged on the shelf or rack, and later let them imitate and learn from the example you have set. Make sure that the rack is not too highly placed, to ensure independent exploration. Preferably, choose one which is set on the floor, is sturdy, and doesn’t have any sharp edges.
7. Books… Of Course!
Get your baby a good variety of touch and feel books, cloth books, bath books, board books, picture books, alphabets and numbers books, and my first words books. Babies love colourful books with themes like flowers, fruits and vegetables, farm animals, wild animals, vehicles and many more that are super engaging for babies. And while you’re trying to choose age-appropriate books that your baby can “read” on their own, don’t miss out on picking up some fun story books that you can read out to your baby.
Must-Have Books For Your Baby’s First Library
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These books are specially designed for your baby’s developmental journey, to encourage early learning, achieving milestones, encouraging independence and exploration, and arousing their curiosity to pick up various skills. Remember to talk to your baby about how much fun it is to read. Keep adding new books to their collection to introduce them to a big variety.
Happy reading!
