Need advice on reading to two sons

[missprincepessa]

I think that can work. A 3 year old can point to objects in the book, say them out loud, and the little one may learn to identify them over time with the anticipation and repetition thing. My son was able to point to objects in books well before one (granted, we read them about a zillion times).

[carang]

i read books with my playgroup classes. some of the kids are younger than 1. but i would not expect a 6 month old to want to do anything other than eat the book.

of course a child younger than 1 can start to learn things... but you would not know any difference if you started when the child was 10 or 11 months of if you started when the child is 6 months.

reading is fantastic, but there is really no need to start it so young.

[okezie]

repulsebayhk: while i agree with you for kids who are 3 yrs+, we are talking about a baby here.... what exactly do you think a 6 month old to learn from the 3 year old brother?

You should never underestimate the ability for a 6 month old to understand what is going on in the world around them Cara! CHildren are developing at a rate of knots and nothing goes unnoticed. When an infant is given the opportunity to participate in routines (nappy change, bath, bedtime rituals) from birth (YES BIRTH!) they will surprise you! For example, the simple act of speaking to a baby before you pick him up, (I am going to pick you up so we can get ready for bath now), communicates to the baby that they are included, they are capable of understanding, and very fast they will respond with arms up upon hearing your warning. WHen babies are given this respect from birth, you will be amazed at how switched on they become. I believe a 6 month old can learn A LOT from ANYONE around them.

[southside852]

i read 2 stories to my boys at night who are 4.5 and almost 1.5 years old. the first one my older picks out and the 2nd one is a more appropriate aged one for the younger one. my older one loves the more baby book b/c he also helps teach things to his little brother. to honest though as a US elementary school teacher - it doesn't matter what you read to the younger one as long as they hear your voice. you can always read a more advanced picture book for the older one, but then talk about the story/picture for your younger one by inserted new vocab, shapes colors etc.....so that they both kids are included. the most important thing as that you are reading. a 6 month yr old could be reading the newspaper with you, but as long as they hear your voice, they will love it.

[carang]

You should never underestimate the ability for a 6 month old to understand what is going on in the world around them Cara! CHildren are developing at a rate of knots and nothing goes unnoticed. When an infant is given the opportunity to participate in routines (nappy change, bath, bedtime rituals) from birth (YES BIRTH!) they will surprise you! For example, the simple act of speaking to a baby before you pick him up, (I am going to pick you up so we can get ready for bath now), communicates to the baby that they are included, they are capable of understanding, and very fast they will respond with arms up upon hearing your warning. WHen babies are given this respect from birth, you will be amazed at how switched on they become. I believe a 6 month old can learn A LOT from ANYONE around them.

i think you misunderstood my meaning. yes, of course a 6 month old will learn from everything around them. that was not what i meant. i mean that a 6 month old is not going to be repeating after the older one etc.

[OX Jess]

Thanks for your all the replies.

I do read to my 6-month-old not because I want him to understand the words or pictures whatsoever I simply want to develop this habit on him from a very early stage (reading is a super good habit!). When I read to a baby (same to my older one when he was a baby) I held him on my lap and read to him. I agree that we do not need to mind the content of the book, simply let the baby hear your voice and be physically close to you is good enough.

Unlike my older boy, my younger one still does not have a sleeping pattern, i.e. he can fall asleep at 9pm or 10pm or still awake at 9ish. At the moment when both of them are awake, I would make them lie down with me in my bed and I read a book suitable to my older one. In this way, I do read stories to my older boy but let the younger one "feel" the reading and hear my voice.

When do I "read" to my younger son in a proper way (i.e. hold him on my lap and show him the book in front of his eyes)? It's when my hubby plays with my older one. As the attention span of a 6 months old is really short so I read to him 5~10minutes is enough, in my case.

I know, when the younger one gets older I need to make a better arrangement about 'bed time stories', and I think, after reading all the advices here, I would start with a simple book so that the older one can be a 'little teacher'; then I will move on to read a more complex story for my older boy. Usually, my older boy will not be satisfied with just one book.

So, let me see how it goes. Reading is great. I read to my boys whenever I can't think of anything interesting to do!

[carang]

http://www.allabroadbaby.com/get-the...-toddlers/6176

saw this and thought you might find it useful... (haven't read it though)