Children's Books - 2 to 4 years old

As a child grows older reading stories together is a wonderful bonding opportunity. No parenting aid compares with a book in its capacity to establish and maintain a relationship with a child. A child’s imagination is an amazing thing and children today are very lucky that there are literally thousands of books to educate and enthral them.

Encourage pre-school children to choose a book for you to read them. Show them the way the words go from left to right on the page by underlining with your fingers – yours first, then theirs. Talk about any new words that come up and try to use them in conversation with your child when story time is over. This expands their vocabulary and helps them gain confidence with language.

As they head towards starting school, you can look at a new story book together but without reading the words. Encourage them to tell you the story by looking at the pictures for clues. Give plenty of praise and encouragement. This is one of the first ways they will learn to read once they get to school. There are so many beautifully illustrated books on the market, that it will be a treat for you both.