Most every book I have on rearing babies and toddlers includes mention of making reading part of the daily play routine.

In What to Expect: The Toddler Years, there is a generous section covering reading with the pre, pre-school set, encouraging parents not to be concerned with teaching their kids to read, but with teaching them to LOVE reading.

This makes perfect sense. Consider that most of the school agers you know can read, and many loathe it, consdering it a chore rather than fun.

I recommend colorful board books with a patterned narrative, like Eric Carle’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
and the others in his series. Each of the books ask a question–in this case, the brown bear is asked what he sees. He answers, “I see a red bird looking at me.” On the following page, is a red bird who is asked what he sees…and the pattern continues.

Recognizing narrative patterns is a first step toward early reading, or what reading specialists call phase 1: role-play reading. At the toddler stage, the child is simply entertained by the bold and bright graphics, and interacting with mommy or daddy. As the child grows older and more familiar with the text, he/she memorizes and can recite the narrative structure of the book, thus imitating reading behavior.

The repetition in these books also helps build vocabulary and reading confidence. Books with a predictable progression allow the child to “read” what comes next without actually reading the words.

We find value in encouraging our children to pretend to build things with a toy Little Tykes hammer, or to pretend to cook something in their Fisher-Price kitchen. Making books a part of playtime is just as important and it has lasting effect; it helps nurture a love of reading.