Learn to read - Children under 2

Reading and a love of books are a priceless skill that will benefit our children. They are also an effective alternative to television. Here we would like to share some tips on how you can help your child in the early years, to get ready to read.

First, we suggest you read our tips on helping children under the age of 2 learn to talk. Those tips on talking are extremely useful for reading also.

To help children under the age of 2 (babies and toddlers) read:

• Buy cloth books and hard board books for your child to flip through
• Buy picture books that she can flip through
• Read books that have pictures of objects and their names. Point to the object when you read its name.
• Sit with your baby on your lap and read with him. Let him flip the pages.
• Discovery books with flaps and pullouts will help the child have fun and also develop fine motor skills
• Get a nursery rhyme book. Your child will start identifying the pages with the rhymes.

Look through our Reviews to find books that are highly recommended by other parents.

Different children develop reading abilities at different times. Every child is unique.  These tips can help them develop this skill by providing an enabling environment. If you feel that your child is falling behind in language development, talk to your paediatrician. Sometimes, delayed language development may point to a different problem.