Tips for Tots Tuesday: Reading

I have always loved to read for as long as I can remember so it was important to me that my family also enjoy it. We are fortunate to have a wide variety of board books and kids books in our home. (Even before Seth arrived there were quite a few - what can I say? I love to read!) Even as an infant we set Seth into our laps and read, it didn't really matter what it was, he just loved the sound of your voice. As he has grown we are so excited to see his love for books. In hopes of keeping that love alive we have a few specific things we do here at home.

1. Seth and I have, whenever possible participated in our local library's story time. Ramsey County Library has story times which are very age specific starting at six months and during the year there are two time a week to catch one. I highly recommend checking out your local library. Having someone else who is passionate about books other than yourself rubs off on your child. Seth even knows our children's librarian by name!

2. We always check out a wide variety of books. Just going to the library is great fun, by why not take it home with you? Seth gets to choose some and then I choose some. I usually look for topics he likes and books that slowly get more challenging. He will actually sit through a whole story wonderfully well and then beg for more. Choose books based on your children's interest. You will be surprised just how much variety the library has to offer. If you are in our neck of the woods, check it out on the Ramsey County library website or even reserve it in advance if there is something you really want to see! All you need is a library card.

3. Find ways to continually make reading a book special. We are fortunate to have our library system connected with BookFlix presented by Scholastic Books. These are short videos, or books you can see and read online. Again, if you are in our system all you need is a library card number for unlimited use. Seth loves the high tech route and though we are careful to keep a time limit we think it is a great tool for our home.

4. Last but not least, get involved in your local library's summer reading program. They are sure to have prizes and events for all ages. Seth has to spend 10 days reading, not hard since we have reading time daily, and then color 10 pictures. Then he will receive a shaker egg which will be fun to have for music time.

What are you doing to keep reading exciting in your home? Do you have some library tips? How about a favorite book and the age range you recommend it for? I would love to hear from you!

Next week: Traveling with toddlers. What works and what fails miserably... (We will have just returned from two LONG weekends away from home!)