I read through this article titled  20 Ways to Boost Your Baby’s Brain Power from the Scholastic Website. It had very useful information on ways to help your child boost brain power; for example, by having a meaningful conversation with your child.  Another article titled Baby Discoveries talks about how your child discovers his or her world.  Another article titled Read Your Baby’s Body Language was something that I found very interesting and informative.

I was looking through the website Wonder Time and found an article titled Motor Skills and Coordination.   This article talks about when your child will be able to hold their head up, roll over, stand or grasp objects.  They say that if your child is not doing what they say at that  age make sure to go and ask your pediatrician if you are concerned.  There was another article on that website titled Social Development.  This one talks about the stages that a child goes through regarding socializing with other children.  The last article titled Learning Development  discusses topics such as reading to them, first words and play.

Here are a few books that we have on the subject:

Simple Steps: Developmental Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Two-Year Olds by Karen Miller (Parent’s Shelf 305.231 MI)

Is it a Big Problem or a Little Problem?: When to Worry, When Not to Worry, and What to do by Amy Egan (649.64 IS)

The Wonder Years: Helping Your Baby and Young Child Successfully Negotiate the Major Developmental Milestones by Tanya Remer Altmann (649.122 WO)

The Children’s Hospital Guide to Your Child’s Heath and Development by T. Berry Brazleton (618.92 CH)

From teaching Tummy Time I have seen babies and toddlers always on the go.  You might wonder how can I read to my child who is a mover and a shaker.  I found this article titled How to Read With a Squiggly Baby (or Toddler).  It will give you some great ideas and hints on how to accomplish reading time with your child at home.  They talk about having your favorite books by your side.

Below are a list of my favorite books that I read in Tummy Time.  Enjoy!

Mouse’s First Spring by Lauren Thompson (Picture Book Aqua Bin)

A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza  (Picture Book Black Bin)

Ducks, Ducks, Ducks by Carolyn Otto (Picture Book Brown Bin)

With a Little Help From Daddy by Dan Andreasen (Picture Book Red Bin)

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin (Picture Book Black Bin – New)

Piggies by Audrey & Don Wood (Picture Book Purple Bin)

Sail Away by Donald Crews (Picture Book Blue Bin)

A Hug For You by Margaret Anastas (Picture Book Red Bin)

I found this article on Reading Rockets website titled Oral Language: Expanding Your Child’s Vocabulary.  This article gives you a few quick tips on how to expand your child’s vocabulary.  You may use the word “talk” but in picture books they may use vocabulary such as “discussed”, “chatter” or “conversation”.

Here is a list of NEW books to try out at home:

Cars Galore by Peter Stein (Picture Book Red – New)

Hide and Sheep by Andrea Beaty (Picture Book Red – New)

New Red Bike by James Ransome (Picture Book Brown – New)

The Rainy Day by Felicia Law (Picture Book Black – New)

I Want My Light On! by Tony Ross (Picture Book Brown – New)

Alphabet House by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace (Picture Book Purple – New)

Tickly Octopus by Ruth Galloway (Picture Book Bright Green – New)

I Don’t Want a Posh Dog by Emma Dodd (Picture Book Yellow – New)

I was looking through Scholastic Parents website and found this great article. It is titled  7 Ways to Build a Better Reader for Birth – 2 Years.  This article will give you 7 easy tips on what you can do now to prepare your child to be a better reader later.    The website has another article titled The Importance of Talking to Babies.  This is an article that I highly recommend that everyone read.  The Scholastic website has many articles and activities that you can implement at home that are very easy.

I was looking online and found some very helpful handouts from Reading Rockets on Tips for Parents of  Babies and Tips for Parents of  Toddlers.  In these articles they give you ideas about reading to your child.  They also say to  talk with your child all day long and to use adult vocabulary.

We have some books in our collection that have great ideas about reading with your child.

Read to Me and I’ll Read to You by Barbara Kohli (Parent’s Shelf 372.41 KO)

Read It! Play It! with Babies and Toddlers by Joanne Oppenheim (Parent’s Shelf 011.62 OP)

Babies Need Books by Dorothy Butler (Parent’s Shelf 028.162 BU)

Books to Grow By by Bob Keeshan (Parent’s Shelf 028.162 KE)

What to Read When by Pam Allyn (649.58 AL)

Reading and talking to your children all day about what you are doing, what you see and what you hear is very important.

As I was looking through some articles from the Zero to Three website I found an article “Getting Ready to Read: Helping Your Child Become a Confident Reader and Writer Starting from Birth“  that I thought I would share. This article talks about young children, literacy and how as adults we can help them from day one.

http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/early-language-literacy/cradlingliteracy_ready2read_8-14-09.pdf

I found another that is a video show “Toddling Towards Reading” that is 30 minutes long and it discusses how children need to know more going into kindergarten.  It starts when they are just babies.  This was informative and fun to watch.

http://www.readingrockets.org/shows/launching/toddling/