Reading

Hey everyone,

I am new to the boards...This is my first post.

I was wondering when your kids became interested in books or stories. Mine are 14 months and they have no interest when I read them stories. I animate and everything.

What about you?

 

Sometimes I wish I had your problem. My girls LOVE books, they are constantly throwing books at me to read to them. There have been a couple books I had to go hide because I just couldn't read them anymore. I know I'm horrible, but sometimes thats what I have to do to keep my sanity. They started with their love of book at about 12-13 months. I notice my girls like books that rhyme and book that don't have super overstimulating pictures. The only advice I have is to keep reading to them, they'll come around. Good luck.

 

mine are like the pp and we read all the time, infact, toys in the car have been replaced with books. Books taht make sounds may grab their attention and animal books our boys love. we imitate the animals...these are the ones with like one word on th epage and it's what kind of animal is on that page...ie: cow, horse, dog, cat...and we say "cat, what's a cat say...cats say Meow....." and now, at 14 months, we know what cats, cows and fish say as well as tractors and cars and trucks.....i guess they say stuff too...vroom vroom. Anyways, maybe so much not story books but the early learning books that teach what stuff is? We also have a favorite Bob the Builder one that has the buttons on the side that say "a cat says meow" and "a hammer says bang bang" when they see the pictures, they actually push the buttons. It's prolly b/c im the mom but to me, that is so intelligent and they love learning. Brenden will actually point to the pictures in the back of the car while reading and go, "what's that" and then turn the page and say "what's that" while pointing to something completely different. Board books work wonders. We got interested at about a year old.

Amanda

 

my kiddos have been into books since 6 mos or so -- they actually sleep with them and consider them loveys

We've always allowed the boys access to their board books to do with what they want... they've chewed them, ripped them, etc. but they are really into them now -- so that strategy must have worked. We also read to them. They carry books over to us all the time (usually the same one over and over) and want it read. They'll also sit and "read" the book on their own.

they've just started animating their own gestures with the books... and having favorites.

One idea to increase interestw ith them is to get a book that is in line with something they are interested in already. My son's first fav book was one iwth Cats in it -- we have cats and that was his first word - so he loved looking at all thecats in it. Now the favorites are: Hand hand fingers thumb, peek a who, ready set GO, hop on pop, all board books.

GOod luck, I think exposure to playing iwth them on their own as well as your reading helps garner interest. it'll be interesting to hear other people's experience.

Teri d

 

QUOTE
Brenden will actually point to the pictures in the back of the car while reading and go, "what's that" and then turn the page and say "what's that" while pointing to something completely different.

My Liberty does this. Its now turned into "touch it" and we have to go around the room and touch whatever caught her eye. Books really open the mind for babies, they can learn so much.

 

I'd say that DS was interested about 9 months and DD could have cared less. Then about 3 months ago, DS kind of faded from books and DD became OBSESSED. Now, they both love books. I have to hide them under the couch because I'd be reading all day if I didn't hide them. :blink:

Mine also like the ones that have one or two words per page, something to pop up or feel and anything with animals on them.

 

Mine became interested in fabric books pretty early-Katelyn got a CT scan around 4 months and loved the fabric book the nurse gave her from the toy/book stash they had. It has a panda that you can put in the pockets on the pages and she just loved it. I started reading to them from the start, but this is when their interest actually started. By six months, they were "reading" on their own.

 

As Trish_e, my girls also inundate me with books to read to them. I can hardly get a sip of my first morning coffee when they are shoving a book in my face to read to them and well...who can say no to a child who has interest in reading? A couple of things that worked for us was to have lots of board books around for them to access where their toys are. We always had/have a basket or those plastic shoebox type things to keep them in. We have always kept it right next to their toy box. Also, I found that it is really important to keep it short and simple. Babies (and even kids up until kindergarten) don't have a long attention span at all. I find with my girls that when I read too many words on each page, I lose them. So I actually have a lot of label type books (books with a picture and one or two words underneath). And even the books that are a little longer (like Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you See?) I just read "bear" and make the noise. "Duck, quack quack" and so on. As they develop a longer attention and have better understanding for other concepts like colors then I can start to add in "brown bear" "yellow duck" and so on. Don't get me wrong, I think it's important for them to hear "real" stories and good quality literature as well but I find that I really have to paraphrase a lot to keep it short enough for them to be engaged. The only time I can get them to really listen to the longer stories is when they are in their highchairs eating. The great thing with label books is that I find they are really learning words from their real world environment and they are learning how to say so many words and make so many funny animal sounds. They learned the word apple from the book so one day at the supermarket I said "look, apple" and they went crazy and started saying "apple, apple." I bought some and put them in our fruit basket and they saw it there and pointed and said "apple, apple." It's great. They do this with so many other words. Hope I've helped in someway but remember, just keep exposing them to it and before you know it you will saying to yourself "Oh goodness if I have to read this book one more time, I will puke." But of course, you will put on your biggest smile and read it for the gazillionth time!!

 

QUOTE
A couple of things that worked for us was to have lots of board books around for them to access where their toys are. We always had/have a basket or those plastic shoebox type things to keep them in. We have always kept it right next to their toy box.

Too funny, this is exactly what we do.