The Child Mind Institute emphasizes the importance of reading to your children by sharing research that states that children who are read to regularly are exposed to 290,000 more words than children who are not read to regularly. That should be motivation enough to read to your children regularly if you want your child to have an expansive vocabulary, but if it’s not here’s a few more reasons to keep in mind. Reading expands your child’s cognitive capacity in general, it introduces them to more general knowledge about the world, it helps them develop empathy, and it expands there emotional awareness. Check out Why Is It Important to Read to Your Child by the Child Mind Institure for more information about all of this!
Convinced that books are of utmost importance yet? You should be! And don’t think you have to be reading to your kids about astrophysics (although if you want to feel free to check out astrophysics for babies). Read to your children about what interests them! It’s the exposure to language, life, and quality reading time that’s important. So, if you’re looking for what to read to your one year old, here you go!
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The Pout Pout Fish:
This was actually the first book that we ever read to our son. Now we have the whole collection! These books are fun to read, teach valuable life lessons, have a variety of language, and have loads of colors to keep the kids interested in the pictures. You can get the original The Pout Pout Fish book or you can get one of the specials. If you’re looking for holiday gifts check out The Not Very Merry Pout Pout Fish!
Little Blue Truck:
Similarly, The Little Blue Truck is a fun story that keeps kids entertained while teaching them quality life lessons about friendship and being kind. There’s also a whole series of these books you can choose from. The fun thing about this book is not only does it teach your kids life lessons, but it’s also a great introductions to animals and their noises!
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was one of my sons first introductions to the alphabet. It’s fun because you’re not putting pressure on a one year old to learn the alphabet with this book, you’re just slowly exposing them to it! It has a fun rhyme scheme, shows off the whole alphabet, and might introduce them to a few new words!
Llama Llama Red Pajama:
Just like the first two series mentioned here, Llama Llama Red Pajama has multiple books to read and collect! They do teach some life lessons, but they’re also just fun to read. More than that, they’re relatable! Baby llama doesn’t like when his mom leaves him alone, or when he has to go to school. You and your kids can connect to these characters which makes reading more fun.
Don’t Push the Button:
Don’t Push the Button was the first book my son LOVED. When we first bought it we had to read it about 10 times a day. It’s an interactive story that just gets kids involved and into reading. They can push the button and tickle the monster and learn about these actions while giggling their butts off. If you have a kid that doesn’t love reading that you’re trying to find books for, this is the one!
Dinosnores:
This is a silly book about dinosaurs that snore. It’s less a learning book and more a fun one! It’s short enough that Ollie doesn’t get bored while reading it, and it’s a good way to introduce bedtime, too.
The Little Engine that Could:
This is a book that teaches resilience! Trains tend to be a hit with little ones so you can use this story of a persistent train to help teach your kids that they can also do hard things. I like to read this book when we’re struggling to learn new skills, because sometimes things are hard! Even as adults we sometimes feel like we can’t do it, so it’s good to look at this little engine that could and learn from it!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar:
This one’s just a classic! It has great colors, is fairly short, is fun for the kids, introduces different types of foods, and has fun flaps for them to practice page turning with! Even though it seems really simple, it’s still a great choice. It can also be used to teach them about healthy eating and growing into yourself. If you also have a hard time getting your kiddo to focus on reading you can get a book projector! The Very Hungry Carerpillar is one of the stories you can get with the book projector we have, so if your kid wants to try something new or you’re short on time to read you should check it out!
Pat the Bunny:
My mom got the Pat the Bunny book for Oliver and saying he loved it is an understatement. These books are a great sensory experience for kids, but are different than most of the other sensory books you see. There’s also a few to choose from so have fun exploring them all!
Lovevery Book Set:
Lovevery is a great toy company that we’ve taken advantage of tons since my son was born. In addition to their toys kits though, they have book add ons! These book talk about real life experiences your kids have like bath time or potty training. They’re really great resources if you’re looking to take some of the anxiety or stress out of certain events for your babies. Or if you’re just looking for books your kids can relate to, these are great for that too!