There’s something beautiful about snuggling up on the sofa with your little and reading a book together – especially when you’re able to get from cover to cover in one sitting!

Like that one time your monkey waddled up with book in hand, climbed into your lap with complete expectation that you’ll drop everything your doing and spend the next 10 minutes flipping through the pages – forwards and backwards – with them.

Maybe you’re not quite there yet…your child isn’t too excited about books, because well, let’s face it…you aren’t too excited about reading to them! Struggling to hold their attention long enough to get from cover to cover is not on your list of to-do’s. I mean – it’s a 5 page book – you shouldn’t need to put a book mark in it! But now that you know just how important reading regularly to your child is; for their development, and for future literacy, you cannot NOT do it. After all, you want to give your baby the very best chance at succeeding – now and in the future!

So to help you turn this task into a pleasure, I’ve compiled a list of 8 different ways you can share books with your child that will help you both grow to love reading. So that you can look forward to story time, like I do, and make it a priority in your day. Follow these simple steps and you’ll bond with your child over books, in a way you never have!

1. Make Sharing Books Part Of Your Every Day Routine
   
I like to read stories with my girls before their naps and again before bed. It’s a great way to calm them down and get in one last snuggle before the end of the day.
2. Talk or Sing About the Pictures
   Don’t worry about reading the words too much as young children can only sit for a story for a few minutes

. Make up a silly song or talk about what you can see in the pictures.
3. Let Your Child Turn the Pages
   This skill is great for hand-eye coordination and the perfect excise to practice cross-lateral movement

 (crossing the mid-line of the body) that helps strengthen the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain. Who knew?!
4. Make the Story Come Alive
   
Create expressive voices for the story characters and use your facial expression and body language to tell the story – always make the animals sound to go with the picture

 and encourage them to imitate.
5. Ask Questions About the Story. Let your Child Ask Questions Too!
   Use the story to engage in conversation and to talk about familiar activities, people and objects

.
6. Make It Personal
   Talk about your own family, pets, or community when you are reading about others in a story. They’ll get a deeper appreciate for the book if they can relate it to their own life.
7. Have Fun!
   
Your child can learn from you that books are fun, which is an important ingredient in learning to read.
8. Make it a Learning Experience
   Books are a great way to teach your little one about shapes, colours, numbers and letters too! And if they’re ready a bit older, you can help them identify feelings & right and wrong.

There you have it! 8 simple ways to share and enjoy books with your little one. Did you find that you did some of these already? Maybe you learned a new way to share books that you hadn’t thought to try? Share with me what you took away from this post in the comments below!

Keep on reading!

Kaelie xo