Early Reading - Literati

Imitating Sounds Read in Books

Team Literati — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 15:58:30 +0000

Is your toddler poised to leave the gurgle phase behind and enter the exciting world of verbal expression? You can support this transition by inviting them to imitate sounds. Books are an especially effective way to practice this skill; because you’ll likely be reading stories repeatedly, children can study your vocal delivery (and any helpful illustrations) until they steadily learn how to make these sounds and how they apply to real-world objects.

But expressing new sounds can be a daunting task for some youngsters, who may feel like little Alan Turings faced with the Enigma Machine. Just remember to keep things fun! Backed by some helpful messaging from Literati, they can start playing their own imitation games to crack the code of language learning.

The upside of imitating book sounds

While sound imitation isn’t the same as independent reading, the practice still forges a link in children’s minds between verbal and written language. As they watch you point to a word or picture on the page, then to your own mouth as you say the word, they start putting the pieces together.

Beyond object-word association, mimicking book sounds also paves the way for a broader vocabulary. The often-extraordinary (or downright magical) settings of toddlers’ books serve up words that probably aren’t routine. By learning to sound out such words and gather their meanings, children gradually find more nuanced ways of expressing themselves even if they can’t yet read.

Above all, it’s a great way to strengthen that parent-child bond! But how do you begin?

Start with sound fundamentals

Even though your toddler may already be imitating you as you do everything from typing memos to wiping windows, they may need help understanding imitation as a concept so they know when they’re being asked to follow your lead. Here are several fun ways to get the wheels turning:

Show them how it’s done.
Imitate your child’s own sounds and movements to exemplify the direct back-and-forth you want to make happen.

Take action.
Lead up to sound and word practice by trying physical imitations like simple arm gestures to see if they get the hang of it.

Make sound effects.
Point out illustrations or utilize props as you voice the “vroom-vroom” of a toy car or the “oink-oink” of a plush pig—or other objects you know your kid loves!

Keep your mouth visible.
As you read text or make isolated sounds, position your mouth so your child can “read” your lips and see how words are formed.

Let them “feel” the sound.
Allowing your child to touch your face or throat as you speak gives them a better sense of speech’s source, and how they can make it themselves.

Shape the language.
Draw out and exaggerate sounds and words, letting your little one process each component from start to finish.

Build them up.
Praise your toddler’s successful imitations (or even their valiant efforts) so they’ll feel gratified and eager to keep at it.

Best books to practice imitation

These toddler-friendly books include verbal response cues that support sound-based language learning:

Which One is Different? Numbers

by Kasia Dudziuk

Practice counting numbers and responding to directions with this puzzle- and animal-filled read.

See, Touch, Feel: Roar

by Roger Priddy

This interactive reading experience invites kids to make object-word associations by imitating animal sounds.

Who Says Uh Oh?

from Highlights

Your toddler can repeat “uh oh” and other basic terms with the aid of an in-book mirror and fun animal photos.

Peek-a-Who?

by Elsa Mroziewicz

With liftable flaps that gradually bring animal imagery into focus, children work through an added tactile layer to put faces to sounds.

Creating a model learning environment

The path to full-fledged speech is not the same for every toddler. But imitating sounds is a significant milestone on that journey, helping them understand the building blocks of language so they can start thinking independently about it. Books are a valuable springboard toward sound imitation, offering a shared experience of fanciful stories that expand vocabulary with an assist from supporting imagery. By repeating this practice, the enigmas of English that once seemed unsolvable soon become child’s play.

How good does curated book delivery sound?

You can keep your imitation practice going strong by signing up for a Literati Kids Book Club. Guided by your child’s reading level and interests, curation experts select personalized stories and send them to your home so you can sound out words together!

The post Imitating Sounds Read in Books appeared first on Literati.

How to Use “Touch Books” with Your Baby

Team Literati — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 16:41:17 +0000

Worried that your baby will chance upon your misplaced iPad and tap their way down the digital rabbit hole? Give those digits something else to grasp! Touch books are like little magic portals, capturing the many different textures of the outside world and serving them up in a safe, baby-friendly format. Instead of apps, they offer fabric patches, raised elements, pullable tabs, sliders, and even cute finger puppets.

These fun features also stimulate the brain. Using touch, babies can take in new information in a concrete way that holds their attention, making them feel transported even as they learn to interact with what’s right in front of them. Ready to embrace this hands-on approach to reading? You have a helping hand in Literati.

Touch books help develop cognitive skills

It’s fitting that touch books often center around a theme of discovery. There are far-away places to explore and hidden objects to find. In the process, babies also make discoveries about the tactile world and themselves. Not only do they learn how different objects feel beneath their fingers, they also develop fine motor skills by manipulating those fingers to pull a flap or trace a shape. All this active discovery through touch also aids in concentration.

But these interactive inlays aren’t just gimmicks meant to keep your kid occupied. Similar to other kinds of sensory activation, touch helps babies get a handle on concepts like shapes, words, and numbers. They’ll get the chance to feel a circle rising from the page or to trace the number five, turning seemingly random configurations into tangible things they can wrap their hands and minds around.

Tapping the full potential of touch books

Although touch books’ eye-catching textures typically make tiny hands fly into action, your baby may need some guidance at first. Invite them to follow your lead as you feel a distinct surface or operate a slider. Allow them time to engage with the material themselves to gain familiarity. You can even try to teach new words like “rough” or “smooth” while your baby is experiencing that sensation on the page.

While your baby may love a certain touch book so much they’ll want to read it over and over, having a variety to choose from means additional opportunities to explore and learn new things. With so many different ways to experience touch (buttons to push, panels to scratch and sniff), you can’t expect a single book to cover all of them.

You can also take a more targeted approach by finding books that focus on particular subjects (e.g., shapes and colors) that you think your baby would especially benefit from. Literati can help! When you sign up for a Kids Book Club, we’ll hunt down great touch books that fit your child’s unique needs and send you monthly boxes to keep their hands full.

Best touch books to keep babies engaged

This handful of books offers an array of touch-and-feel experiences that make learning fun:

5 Wild Numbers

by Bella Gomez

In this hands-on introduction to numbers one through five, babies use sliders to trace the path of each numeral while colorful wild animals look on.

Where’s My Llama?

by Becky Davies & Kate McLelland

Readers touch and feel their way through the pages as they track down a runaway llama, who also sports some white fluffy fur to pet.

Rainbow on the Farm

from Little Hippo Books

Little fingers can interact with the colors of the rainbow as they appear through cutouts and then blend into a series of farm locations.

Baby’s Very First Sparkly Playbook

by Fiona Watt and Stella Baggott

Each page showcases shiny, sparkly shapes. Die-cut holes lead readers from one dazzling display to the next.

Tracing a path forward

Of all the things babies want to get their hands on, touch books are some of the most effective teaching tools. They engage the brain and finger muscles while introducing many textures found in everyday life. An unattended iPad or phone screen may seem sleek and flashy to the eye, but the fingers only feel a flat sameness. The surfaces within touch books, however, pack a richness that leads to deeper understanding. It’s experiential learning within the safe confines of home!

Grab new reads with Literati’s Kids Book Clubs

Your little one is still getting a grasp on the basics, but maybe they’ve already shown a fondness for animals or plants in the garden. Maybe they’ll gladly absorb anything new they can get their hands on. Joining one of our Kids Book Clubs will put your child’s interests in front of expert curators who send relevant titles right to your home. Open the box, open a book, and start exploring!

The post How to Use “Touch Books” with Your Baby appeared first on Literati.

Using Books to Interact with Your Toddler

Team Literati — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 22:13:49 +0000

Toddlers’ ability to move independently and observe the world around them opens up a smorgasbord of potential new interests. So how can you harness their adventurous hunger and steer them toward a good book when they’d seemingly rather grace your walls with a crayon masterpiece?

Show them the many ways books come alive, no heavy-duty cleaning products required. Here with some helpful tips and recommendations for books with built-in toddler appeal, Literati can help you channel your child’s energy into an interactive and enriching reading experience!

Tips for interactive reading

One of the guiding principles of reading to toddlers is to directly involve them in the storytelling process. In other words, it’s a two-way street (and you can help make it a low-traffic one!) Here are some ways to get the most out of this valuable time together:

Stock the shelves
Update your current library with books that put your child’s budding interests—animals, sports, horticulture—front and center. Make these books easy for a toddler to access and flip through whenever a craving hits.

Prepare the environment
When it’s time to read, make sure the book is the primary focus. Set the right mood by turning off potential distractions (like those pesky screens) and finding a quiet and comfortable reading spot.

Enlist help
Invite your child to choose the book you’ll be reading. You can also set out a handful to choose from. Gladly accept the decision (familiar as it may be) and let them turn the pages themselves. This gives them an empowering sense of agency.

Get inquisitive
Find moments to ask open-ended questions about what’s happening in the story so your toddler can get inside characters’ heads and practice critical thinking skills. You can also take deliberate pauses to encourage your child to finish a familiar phrase for you, offering helpful nudges when needed.

Be theatrical
Show off your versatility by making sound effects and using different voices for various “roles.” Toddlers also respond to rhyme and music. Even if a certain book doesn’t include a rhythm, feel free to break out the jazz hands and improvise a tune, encouraging your child to clap or sing along. Variety of sound and pitch helps hold their attention.

Best books for toddler interaction

You may well have the gusto to enthrall a young audience just by reading aloud from a dictionary. But if you’re looking for more hands-on options, these books (available through Literati subscription boxes) feature vibrant colors and interactive elements such as mirrors, peekaboo flaps, and on-page textures:

See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book

by Roger Priddy

The vibrant colors will draw toddlers in and the textured imagery will keep them occupied. As they explore the book with their fingers, you can ask about their sensations.

Peek-a Who?

by Nina Laden

Lift the flaps to reveal the many colorful members of the animal kingdom. The visual fun is balanced out by rhyming text that accompanies each new discovery.

Guess What’s in Space

from Clever Publishing

This is a perfect choice for young space enthusiasts. The liftable flaps and prompts for guessing make for an active and educational look at the cosmos.

Playtown

by Roger Priddy

For a more down-to-earth experience, this colorful lift-the-flap book portrays the hustle and bustle of urban life. Reading this will give toddlers insight into common sights outside the home.

One page at a time

It may take some experimenting to find out which stories your child finds most compelling. Be prepared to return to a particular story many times; toddlers don’t tire of repetition. Try to read a little every day, and don’t feel the need to force it if your little one’s attention starts to wane. With regular practice, the shared act of reading will become a comforting interaction that builds a loving rapport—and keeps your walls clean!

Interact with Literati Book Clubs to get titles like these delivered

You can get these books and others like it by signing up for a Literati Book Club. When you share your toddler’s reading interests with the Literati team, they’ll get to work selecting personalized titles that match up. Soon, you’ll receive regular handfuls of hands-on books that make for a special shared experience, complete with flaps and sound cues.

The post Using Books to Interact with Your Toddler appeared first on Literati.

How to Teach Your Baby to Listen to an Entire Book

Charlie DeTar — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 21:01:11 +0000

As parents ourselves, we know how hard it is to try to read a squirming, curious baby a book, nevermind make it through a whole one. And between lots of loads of little laundry, battling the barrage of bottles in the sink, and sneaking some time in for a shower yourself (why does that somehow feel like a luxury?), it’s hard to even find the time.

But if you can teach your baby to listen to an entire book (or most of it), you’ll be introducing them to a host of new things that they’ll need to help their brains develop—and for learning important building blocks of language, communication, and writing.

And remember, it’s okay to start with baby steps! It will take time—it’s not instinctive for a child to know they should listen to a book cover to cover. We get to teach them the wonders of reading by making storytime interesting.

Here are some tried-and-true ways you can begin to encourage your baby to listen to a book all the way through:

Talk about things on the pages
Point out animals, shapes, colors, or maybe even a character that looks like Grandpa—any little detail can engage them and help them learn new things.

Make sounds, voices, or sing songs as you read
Each character can have a different voice, or repeated phrases can be made into fun songs. You’ll make storytime memorable and enjoyable.

Let toddlers turn the pages
Yes, we know the struggle. But, if you let them do this, it enhances their interest, and feeling “part” of the reading experience will encourage them to listen and discover other books as well!

Show them the words and the direction you’re reading them
Since reading is not instinctive, you can show little ones how it works by running your finger beneath the words as you read them.

Show them the cover
Read the title, author, illustrator, and talk about the cover art to entice them. You can even try asking questions to older babies and toddlers: what might this book be about? Do you like the colors?

Relate characters, animals, or items in the pictures to real life
Does that bespectacled badger look like Uncle Joe? Maybe the reliable rabbit reminds you of a kind friend or neighbor. Make these connections to add another level of engagement!

The right books for the job

To help support you, we asked our expert curators to provide a list of their favorite books for helping babies and toddlers listen to a whole story. Here they are!

Sheep in a Jeep

By Nancy E. Shaw

This lively, funny tale is perfect for reading aloud and engaging little ones. With rambunctious sheep rollicking and bouncing about on a mission in a jeep, you’ll get to repeat silly rhymes, talk about farm animals, and probably elicit more than a few giggles!

Goodnight ABCs

By Erin Guendelsberger

With an evergreen message of love, adorable animal illustrations, and heartwarming rhymes, this sweet bedtime story is perfect for reading together before bed. Tuck your little one in for the night with this board book that helps babies and toddlers understand bedtime routines with each letter of the alphabet.

Don’t Push the Button!

By Bill Cotter

A great read-aloud, interactive picture book that kids will go back to time and again. There’s only one rule in monster Larry’s book: don’t push the button. (Seriously, don’t even think about it!) Even if it does look kind of nice, you must never push the button. Who knows what would happen? Celebrate curiosity and storytime fun with this silly monster book.

Where is Bear?

By Lesléa Newman

You and your little reader can join the search for Bear in this sweet padded board book! The animals in the forest are playing hide-and-seek, and everyone is found—except for the biggest creature of all! Where, oh where, could Bear have gone? One thing is certain: his loyal friends will do whatever it takes to find him (and you’ll have fun searching right along with them)!

…And they read happily ever after

We hope these tips and book recommendations help you to make storytime even more fun and meaningful—and perhaps a little bit longer over time. And if you aren’t able to make it all the way through a book with your baby, know that that’s okay! Even just a few dedicated minutes of reading can help your child become interested in books and pave the way for a lifetime of learning.

Literati makes it easy to find the best books for your baby with our book clubs designed for every age and reading level. You’ll teach your baby to listen to books cover to cover in no time!

Discover our Dreamer or Seeker Level book boxes, for babies and toddlers from 0-2 years old.

The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake

Robin Newman

Captain Griswold and Detective Wilcox are two hard-boiled, no-nonsense MFIs—Missing Food Investigators. They also happen to be mice in trench coats. But don’t let the fur fool you: these mice are fearless detectives who won’t rest until they catch the crook. With plenty of clues tucked into quick, readable text, your reader will race to solve the case until they reach the ending twist they’ll never see coming. Readers from preschool to second grade will devour this hilarious first installment in the Wilcox and Griswold easy reader series and still be hungry for more.

The post How to Teach Your Baby to Listen to an Entire Book appeared first on Literati.

How High-Contrast Books Help Babies Learn Necessary Skills

Charlie DeTar — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 21:06:09 +0000

Eager to foster a love of reading in your newborn but not sure how to start? It may be too soon to crack open A Tale of Two Cities, but babies can still appreciate a study in contrasts. Although it takes time for their vision to fully develop, infants can register images displayed in contrasting colors—namely black and white.

Considerate authors have met little ones where they are, creating high-contrast books designed to keep babies engaged, which in turn stimulates their visual, mental, and social development. Always happy to show how books bring out the best in us, Literati offers multiple selections that put these benefits into focus.

Clearer Images, Stronger Vision

During the first three months of life, babies’ eyes struggle to focus on anything roughly a foot away. By reading with them, you can ensure they process high-contrast imagery from an optimal distance (about 8-10 inches). This helps the retina send stronger visual signals to the brain. A steady diet of clear visuals helps strengthen the retina itself and grow the optic nerve.

In addition to these internal changes, there are also effects you can see. By presenting your baby with imagery they can focus on and linger over, their attention span will improve. After about three months, you’ll notice they’ll be able to visually track objects as well, watching as they move from one spot to another.

Best books to strengthen vision:

Illustrated with babies’ capacity for color in mind, these books feature stark black-and-white imagery and mix in splashes of red, one of the first colors a newborn can distinguish. Text takes a backseat, making for a gentle introduction to simple yet expressive shapes.

Look, Look! by Peter Linenthal
It Had to be You by Loryn Brantz

Material for Brain Development

Visual development directly affects cognitive development. A healthy retina and optic nerve positively impact the function of the brain’s vision center. When infants can get a good view of what’s on the page, they can start doing their own comparing and contrasting. Encountering new shapes and images helps them make sense of the world around them.

High-contrast books also promote engagement through sound, another source of sensory info that stimulates brain development. Reading text aloud offers your baby a chance to listen and examine (visible!) letters and words, paving the way for strong vocabulary and communication skills. Even if infants can’t yet express the language they’re hearing, their brains still receive information.

Best books to improve cognition:

These selections add an extra layer of stimuli for budding minds. Featuring subjects like the shapes and animal sounds, babies can practice listening skills as they make connections between text and objects.

Cluck and Moo by Frida Bing
Farm: A Slide and Play Book by Surya Sajnani

Storytelling as Social Activity

While the eyes and brain will certainly get a workout, there’s still plenty of room for fun within the pages of a high-contrast book. The stimulating reading experience it provides is a great setup for a rewarding parent-child interaction.

Books can be captivating portals, but they can also be opportunities to show affection. Introducing gentle kisses and tickles into your storytelling process helps link reading time with playful physical touch (i.e., fun). Many parents have also successfully paired reading with tummy time, when babies are already physically engaged. This shared activity creates excitement and trust, setting the stage for healthy back-and-forths down the road.

Best books to support social growth:

These books make for a more active and communal reading experience. Whether you’re acting out the story or overseeing a tummy time reading session, these fun tales encourage physical and emotional involvement as well as social bonding.

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy
TummyTime: Animal Parade

Pleasure and Progress

High-contrast books serve as the perfect starting point for your baby’s reading journey. They capture focus with distinct visuals, plant seeds for strong cognitive skills, and present a chance to spend meaningful time together. With such a powerful introduction to literacy, your kids will be tackling Dickens in no time!

Receive high-contrast stories right at your door with Literati Book Clubs

Intrigued by the books listed above? That’s just a sampling of what Literati offers. We have a read on what books will sharpen your babies’ eyesight and help them gain a greater understanding of this brave new world and their place in it. By subscribing to a Literati Book Club, you can expect a fun variety of thoughtfully curated newborn-friendly books regularly delivered to your doorstep. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is; we’ll stock your library for you.

The post How High-Contrast Books Help Babies Learn Necessary Skills appeared first on Literati.

Why it’s Vital to Read Aloud to Babies

Charlie DeTar — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 21:32:04 +0000

When is the best time to start reading to your child? At what age do they really begin to benefit from reading?

You can (and should!) read to your children as early as possible, according to literacy expert and author, Maya Smart.

When you read to your baby, they learn much more than you might think, gaining valuable information that they’ll use to learn to read, speak, and write as they grow.

Remember: you are your child’s first teacher.

The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake

Robin Newman

Maya Smart is a parent educator, literacy advocate, and the author of Reading for our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six. During a recent interview with us, she explained why it’s so important to read to your little ones early and often, and what babies gain developmentally in the process.

Literati:

Knowing that your expertise is in children’s literacy from birth to 5 years old, we’d love your perspective on why it’s important for parents to read to their babies.

Maya:

It’s really important for parents to read to infants and babies as soon as they bring them home from the hospital and get into those home routines, along with changing diapers, meal times, and all of those things. Bring reading into the mix right off the bat because it’s the way that their brain structure and function are built— through back-and-forth conversational exchanges with parents.

Books are a really great way to get parents talking to babies that are not yet forming words and responding. They’re a great jumping-off point for introducing all that wonderful vocabulary that kids will need to recognize in print down the road.

Literati:

What are some ways parents can incorporate reading to their baby into the daily routine?

Maya:

I’ve heard from parents who’ve read their kids all kinds of things. One friend read her baby her dissertation because she was a PhD candidate and that’s where her mind was. So, of course the child is getting language, but when you’re reading your dissertation, you’re not necessarily giving them the sort of bite-sized, infant-size vocabulary.

I always recommend just a big, thick, board book. And oftentimes, those will just feature a few illustrations of an object—something that’s easy for parents to point to and label and kind of begin to bring the infant’s attention in line with theirs. And Baby’s vision is almost as sophisticated as an adult’s by six months, but in the earliest months, they really are more interested in and engaged with books that have higher-contrast images in them. So, board books with high-contrast images are definitely a great way to start. And of course, even after they can see a full range of color and discern all of the visual things that we can, it doesn’t hurt (if they’re interested) to still share those kinds of books with kids.

Literati:

That’s great. Our younger book clubs spotlight books with high-contrast images and tactile elements. Can you explain why those features encourage literacy development in babies and toddlers?

Maya:

It’s really important for kids’ literacy development that they get interested in and familiar with handling and looking at books. When they’re five months old, they’re grabbing the books just kind of with their hands and not using their thumbs yet. But by seven months, they’ll start to grab the book with their fingers on one side and thumb on the other, and pretty soon they’re able to grasp small objects. But books that give them different textures to feel, and sort of that sensory experience of engagement with the book, just keeps their interest. So, those are wonderful ways to engage. It’s all about attention with the little ones.

Literati:

Got it. And we know it’s important to engage really young babies and toddlers by making sounds in the books and pointing out objects, colors, and numbers. Can you explain why this encourages reading development, as well as anything else parents can do with their babies and toddlers while they’re reading together?

Maya:

Pointing is great. Again, it just sort of brings the child’s attention in line with yours. So little ones, when you’re reading from the book, they don’t necessarily make the connection between the words that you’re speaking and the print that’s on the page and that understanding emerges over time.

You can point to the beach ball on the page in a book and say “beach ball.” If it’s the kind of book where it’s labeling individual objects, it introduces that vocabulary. It gives them the experience of hearing what you’re saying and connecting it with an image.

Pointing to books also gives kids important insight into how books work. So if you move your finger from left to right as you’re reading text across the page, over time, they’ll come to understand that text is read from left to right or from the top of the page to the bottom of the page.

There are so many little literacy lessons that parents can teach using books. And as adult fluent readers, we forget that kids have to learn all of those things. They have to learn that the words on the page are connected to the sounds and words that they hear in our speech. They have to learn that text has a direction, and so forth.

Literati:

So, for example, if you’re reading about animals and there is a lion, the parent should point at the lion so their very young baby or child can start to associate the word “lion” with that visual cue?

Maya:

Yes. Some board books will have just a few words, or in some cases, just one word per page. So, it’s not necessarily that the 3-month-old is going to make that connection, but it’s that the parent builds the habit of labeling and pointing so that as that awareness emerges over time, the parent is in the habit of doing those things. We have research that gives us some insight into when kids can recognize certain things, but each child is unique and the way that they learn is through experience and exposure. So, if you start things earlier, you’re laying the groundwork for it.

I think it’s really important for parents to understand that they really are their child’s first teacher, and that there are so many lessons that can be facilitated through books. Anytime you’re reading words on the page, you’re introducing your child to vocabulary words that they’ll one day recognize in print. And so you’re helping them build word banks.

You’re also giving them knowledge about the world when you introduce them to books that include objects from their everyday environment—but also experiences, stories, and things that are happening in other parts of the world, and beyond their world as babies and toddlers.

When you open up a book, you’re just building their familiarity with books and you’re increasing their experiences and exposure to print and letters. And you’re also giving them really important exposure to the sounds of our language, because it will become very important for them to be able to distinguish sounds within words.

The fact that “cat” has three sounds, for example, “c” “a,” and “t,” those are skills that are built when we do nursery rhymes and word play and all these kinds of things. And when we choose books that have those elements, it’s really helpful for us as parents who teach.

Explore Literati Book Clubs for babies and toddlers with our Dreamer, Seeker, Stargazer, and Discoverer book boxes!

We curate book boxes specifically for your child’s reading level and interests, then help them to grow as a reader.

The post Why it’s Vital to Read Aloud to Babies appeared first on Literati.