Letter Knowledge

Show your baby the front cover of the book and describe the colors and images. As you talk to your baby and describe what she is seeing, you help to set the foundation for development of letter knowledge.

You might say:

"We are going to read Who Are They? That’s the title of the book; look how red those letters are! And look at this picture of a small duck family — the bigger duck must be a mommy duck and the little ducks must be her babies."

Oral Language

You can make up a story about the images in each page. The wordless pages give you a chance to use your imagination as you talk about the book with your little one. For example, when showing your baby the picture of a dog and puppies, you might say:

"Here is a picture of a mommy dog with her little puppies. We have a dog named Georgia, don’t we? Georgia used to be small and little, just like these puppies. Dogs like to bark and it sounds like this: woof woof!"

Follow your baby’s cues during the story and focus on the pages or images that catch her eye.

Oral Language

Take your child to the “farm.” If your child happens to have some stuffed farm animals, use them to recall the story. For example, you can use your baby’s stuffed cat to describe its body parts and the sound a cat makes.

If your child enjoys looking at animals, take a look at the book Animals Talk by Emily Bolam.

Explore more recommended children's books for babies and infants from birth to 5 months of age. Or, find an easy at-home activity designed to build pre-reading skills in your baby.