You love books and you want to pass the joy of reading on to your kids. There are quite a few things you can do to make sure your child will not only be a proficient reader, but also develops a love for reading. And, unlike what you make think, reading readiness starts from birth. The basics skills needed for reading are developed very early on. Here’s what you can do for your baby, toddler and preschooler to prepare him for reading and teach him to love books.

Baby

Babies love board books. They also love cloth books. And, why wouldn't babies love them? They have bright colors, letters and best of all they open and close. Let your baby “read” his books on his own. Especially if you have cloth books, you don't have to worry if he tries to eat them. You can simply throw them into the washer and they'll be good as new. For storytime with a baby, sit with your baby in your lap and let him play with the book. Opening and closing it and turning the thick pages is an important motor skill that will enable him to turn the pages of books later. Read aloud to your child, but keep it brief and only continue for as long as he shows interest. Remember that your baby’s attention span isn’t very long yet. Look for books that are sturdy and can be tossed around without breaking. Board books should have round corners. The books should also be easy to turn the pages, and of course there should be colorful simple drawings and images in the book.

Toddler

As your baby grows into a toddler, his attention span grows as well. He can now make it through an entire (short) picture book. Continue to read aloud to your child. Use an animated voice. Don't worry about sounding or looking silly. Your toddler will love it. Get your toddler to interact with you by asking him to point things out on the page, ask him what color a particular object is, or what a particular animal is called. Also start to talk about the stories you are reading. Make reading to your child at night a habit and don’t forget to snuggle while you read a few books. You and your child will create wonderful memories of the two of you reading stories together. It’s one of the best ways to instill a love for books and reading in your child.

Preschooler

Your preschooler is now ready for even longer books. Now is also the time that he’ll make the connection that the funny looking symbols on the page somehow correlate to spoken words. He will also start to recognize that words are made up of different phonetic parts. Rhymes will help him create this phonemic awareness. Read books like Dr. Seuss that rhyme and don’t be surprised if your child asks you to read a book over and over again. Preschoolers also like to pretend to read a book, or recite it from memory as they flip the pages. Praise your child when he pretends to read a book by himself. It will instill pride about being able to “read” and encourage him to explore books and letters further.

Get your toddler and preschooler ready to read with the alphabet crafts and activities at http://www.kidsactivitycalendar.com - audios, printables, craft and even snack ideas all work together to make the letters of the alphabet jump of the page and make them fun and interesting for your child. Take a peek at our Letter “A” sample page at http://www.kidsactivitycalendar.com/letter-a-sample.htm