National Read a Book Day provides the perfect opportunity to get lost in a good book. So, we thought we would use our over 50 years of daycare experience to share a few reading tips we use in our infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age classrooms.

Tips for Reading to Your Infant

• Read daily. Reading builds listening, memory, and vocabulary skills.
• Cuddle together. Cuddling while you read helps build a connection between you and your baby.

Our infant teachers recommend: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Tips for Reading to Your Toddler

• Have fun. Having fun while reading together will help your toddler grow to love reading.
• Talk about the pictures. Talk about the pictures. Point to items and name them. Encourage your toddler to name them, too.

Our toddler teachers recommend: Chicka Chika Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.

Tips for Reading to Your Preschooler

• Ask questions. Highlight what is happening on the page. Ask your preschooler, “What do you think will happen next?” or “What did you like about this book?”
• Point while reading. Point to the words on the page. This helps your preschooler learn important reading concepts.

Our preschool teachers recommend: Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin.

Tips for Reading to Your School-ager

• Keep reading even when your school-ager can read independently. – This helps you broaden your school-ager’s vocabulary and reading skills.
• Surround your school-ager with a lot of books. – Reading is the key to lifelong learning.

Our school-age teachers recommend: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Happy reading!