Having Fun With Books
Play with your child's books, even long before you read them to
your child. Many children need to pick up books, and enjoy them
as toys before they will want someone to read them a book. Here
are some ways you can show your child that books are fun.
- Keep a few sturdy cardboard, cloth, and plastic books in
your child's room. Place the books in a special area near
your child's toys. When you are with your child, be sure to pick
up the books and look through them yourself, play with the tabs
and flaps. This will show your child that you enjoy books. Then
your child might imitate you.
- Show your child how to use her books as props for pretend
play. Some ideas are:
- Stand up a cardboard book or a fairy tale to use as a movie
for dolls to go see. Your child's dolls might even listen
as you retell the story or try to read a page or two. Young
boys often enjoy driving their toy cars to a drive-in movie.
Serve a snack at intermission to give your beginning listener
a break!
- If your child likes to play doctor, stack some books or
magazines in the "waiting room". When it is your
turn to wait, be sure look through the books and talk outloud
about the pictures in a way that will be interesting to your
child, for example, "Oh, this is my favorite kind of
car!" If your child doesn't like
to play doctor, you can use this waiting room approach in
other kinds of pretend play. For example, while waiting to
get your car inspected, waiting to have your hair cut, waiting
for a take-out food order.
- When you are playing pretend with your child, try to work
books into your role. For example if you are pretending to
babysit your child's dolls or stuffed animals, be certain
to read them a short story before tucking them into bed. If
your child is pretending that she had a new baby or that it
is a doll's birthday, wrap up one of your child's books as
a gift.
- Show your child that books can help us answer questions.
- Look at a pictures in books for ideas about out how to
draw something.
- When you or your child are trying to remember something
such as a name of a dinosaur, look it up in your child's book.
- Ask your child to help you find something in a newspaper,
a grocery store flyer, a TV guide.
- Offer your child books when she is waiting or bored.
Try to keep a small book or two in your bag, so your child can
look at it in places like a doctor's office, on the bus, or while
visiting adult relatives. Play "I See Something" with
a book: open to a detailed picture and say, "I see something
red." See if your child can touch the object you were thinking
of. When your child guesses correctly, he gives you the clue.
- Try Books on Tape. Let your child choose some of these
at your library. After he has enjoyed some books on tape, try
to reading some of them to him.
|
