Wondering when to start reading to your baby? It's never too early!
Sharing a book, even with a tiny newborn, opens a world of benefits that can last a lifetime. While your baby may not understand words yet, they are absorbing the rhythm, tones, sounds and flow of speech. This plays a key role in early brain development and future language skills.
Reading together also provides special time for you and your baby to
connect. It creates a comforting routine and helps your little one feel loved and secure. This feeling lays a foundation for
healthy mental and emotional development.
It's not just about letters and words, but about spending time engaging with their first and best teacher—you!
The American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends reading with your child from birth onward. Here are some age-based tips to help you and your child share the magic of books during their first year.
Making books a part of your baby's bedtime routine
Set aside a few quiet minutes for sharing books as part of your baby's regular naptime or
bedtime routine. When they experience the familiar routine of book-sharing, they know what to expect next. Having regular bedtime routines from an early age helps prevent future bedtime struggles. Teaching your baby how to fall asleep alone by putting them in bed when sleepy but still awake helps prevent future night wakings.
Birth to 6 months
What your baby can do:
Widen their eyes or kick their legs in excitement when you share books with them.
Touch the book.
See best around 6 to 10 inches from their face.
Babble and imitate sounds.
Let you know when they are ready for a break by looking away, arching their back or fussing. Don't worry about finishing the book. Shared reading should be
fun, not forced.
What you can do:
Find a quiet, comfortable place and hold your child on your lap.
Make
eye contact and let them see the expressions you make.
Try using different voices and sounds as you read.
Point to pictures in the book.
Try to select books with simple rhymes and bold pictures. But remember what babies benefit most from is listening to your
voice and snuggling with you!
6 to 8 month old
What your baby can do:
Hold onto a book and pat the pictures.
Taste a book;
mouthing objects like books is a normal developmental stage.
Smile at the sound of your voice.
Copy some of the sounds you say and the looks on your face.
Pay attention to a book for a few minutes at a time.
What you can do:
Name and point to the pictures that catch your baby's attention.
Help your baby turn pages.
Consider sturdy board books and soft fabric books with different textures your curious baby can
explore with different senses.
Act out pictures using your face, hands and voice.
Enjoy a game of copying your baby as you play with books.
9 to 11 month old
What your baby can do:
Reach for one of two books you offer to them.
Hold onto a book and pat the pictures.
Explore interactive features like mirrors and flaps in books.
Copy some of the sounds you make and the looks on your face.
Pay attention to a book for a few minutes at a time.
What you can do:
Consider books with pictures of everyday objects like balls and blocks.
Name and point to the pictures your baby is touching or looking at. For example, "Look at the doggie. The doggie is helping the baby roll the ball."
If your baby wants to turn to a different page—just follow their lead. Remember that you never need to read the whole story.
Babies love repetition. Don't be surprised if they like sharing the same book or certain parts of one again and again.
Ask questions as you read. Even though they can't answer, "Where's the bird? or "What does the cat say?" you introduce the idea of
conversations. What will eventually become back-and-forth discussion is powerful in supporting your baby’s development.
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