7 Books To Help Brain Power
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Looking for a great book to enjoy with your child? Here are some stories that are fun to read and good for him too.
It's never too early to start reading to your baby. No matter how young your child is, reading together helps develop his brain through the vibrant illustrations, simple phrases and interactive stories in popular children's books. The repetition and rhymes also stimulate your child's thinking and speaking skills.
The key to making it work? Engaging your child. Try using a fun, singsongy voice. Ask your toddler about what she thinks will happen next. Encourage your child to point out colors or letters. Repeat familiar phrases together as you read aloud.
"Really talk. Don't just read," says Donna Bell, senior project manager at the National Center for Family Literacy. "The dialogue is where it's at. There are so many things a child can learn from the process if you do it well."
Here are seven best bets to pull off the shelf and why they can help nurture brain development in your child:
6–8 months:
- Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt for its variety of textures and playing peekaboo.
9–12 months:
- Freight Train by Donald Crews for its spare, bright illustrations that hold babies' attention as train cars spool through the pages.
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown ranks as perhaps the ultimate bedtime story for its soothing, rhyming phrases. Familiar environments-in this case, a child's room-help babies make sense of the world around them.
13–16 months:
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin for a rhythm that mimics a mother's heartbeat while teaching colors and animals.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle grabs attention with its tactile, tangible and interactive trek through a caterpillar's week of eating.
17–24 months:
- Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert takes kids through foods from A to Z, which ties in well with grocery store outings.
- Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming adds a creative twist to building the alphabet, letter by letter.
Bottom line: Look for the kinds of books, characters or topics your child likes best and just keep on reading.
"Ideally, the more vocabulary children hear in that first year of development, the better off they'll be," says Anita Silvey, author of 100 Best Books for Children (Mariner Books, 2005). "It's the best predictor of success in school."
Best Bets for Parents
- Boosting Your Baby's Brain Power by Holly Engel-Smothers and Susan M. Heim (Great Potential Press, 2008)
- What's Going On in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life by Lisa Eliot (Bantam Books, 2000)
- Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn (Bantam Books, 2000)