Thursday, March 11, 2010

Reading at a Young Age



If you follow this blog, it's a pretty safe bet you love books. i mean, I know we're hilarious and awesome and all, but you probably wouldn't have found us unless you're a YA fan. Unless you're related to us, of course.

But those of you who aren't our actual family are probably all YA readers. and not just readers, but big readers. And you've probably always had a love of reading.

I've been reading to my 3-month-old since she was a teeny tiny baby in the NICU. It's really fun to see the change in her during storytime.

In the NICU, she just slept while I read. Then when she was a few weeks old, she would be awake, but looking at me, not the pictures. At about 1 month, she started attentively staring at the pictures.

Around a month and a half, she started to seem to recognize the story if it was one we'd read several times before. She particularly loves "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" by Bill Martin and Eric Carle and "Shampoodle" by Joan Holub (shout out to Joan, who follows this blog! She actually giggles when we read this one!!!!). About that same time, she started tracking. When I would read her a story with both words and pictures on both pages of a two-page spread, she would look at the correct page at the right time. I know it's because she could see which page I was looking at, but still, that's kinda cool, you know?

Then around 2 1/2 months, she started grabbing the pages and trying her best to turn them for mommy. :)

A couple of weeks ago, we started going to "Babytime" at the library. It's baby storytime for babies under 12 months old. We sing songs, do lap bounces, finger play, and listen to stories. Let me tell you...30 babies, mommies, daddies, and nannies in a room is cuteness overload!

I love that she's already so interested in books, because that's such a huge part of who I am.



So what about you? Did you love books at an early age? What age did you learn how to read? What were some of your favorite books when you were little?

6 comments:

  1. OMG she is so bloody CUTE!!! I found a lot of the Potter books kinda scary. But Winnie the Poo has this glorious rhythm. Wind in the Willows, too. And Good Night Moon.

    *SIGH*

    Amanda... she's just so beautiful.

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  2. The cuteness hurts my eyes!!!! lol Oh man, she's a dollbaby.

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  3. Don't let her read my book for few years, k?

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  4. Amanda Brice6:30 PM

    LOL, one night when I couldn't get her to fall asleep and I couldn't find a children's book nearby, I started reading Courtney Milan's novella from the Regency Christmas antho she did with Mary balogh and Nicole Cornick. Amber seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Not as much as Brown Bear, but then again, there's no pictures. LOL

    Yes, I'm a bad mommy, reading sexy romance to my infant.

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  5. I loved reading as a kid!! But I wasn't anywhere as cute as your baby. :D

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  6. Amanda!
    Thanks for the shout out. I love that your ADORABLE baby girl giggles at the book. :o) I loved reading as a girl, too. My mom got me hooked because I saw her reading -- just as you're doing with your daughter -- and because she took me to the library, my second home.
    Hugs,
    Joan

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