From the age of 4 months, babies move from discovering their own bodies to being able to grasp objects intentionally. Books can now become part of their environment.
The magical power of baby books
Books have the unique power to stimulate our children's minds, nurture their curiosity and foster their intellectual growth. In the colorful world of stories, babies discover shapes, colors and words, laying the foundations for learning.
Reading with baby: a multi-sensory activity
Reading with your hands
- The very first books are objects to be discovered and manipulated: all the baby's senses and body are involved.
- The books are hard - cardboard or laminated - and resistant to in-depth exploration: babies discover with their mouths, grab, throw, put their finger through a hole, feel the soft or hard, smooth or raised parts, all of which are their first sensory experiences.
- The little explorer grabs the book with one hand, passes it through the other and then touches the materials, coordinating vision and touch.
Reading with your eyes
- Colors are high-contrast, very bright or brilliant, as the baby's visual system has not yet reached its functional potential (hence the use of black and white).
- He begins to look with interest at shapes, marked contours and images.
- Beyond sensory experience, babies enter the process by which they become capable of representing the world of objects and reasoning about it.
With ears
- As they develop, babies discover the pleasure of reading aloud. They already enjoy listening to the same short texts over and over again.
- The musicality of the text, its rhythm and all the melodic richness of the voice bring great pleasure to the baby.
Read with you
It's important that you enjoy reading these stories to your baby, as reading comprehension is initially emotional. Babies are primarily receptive to the emotional tone of the voice of the person reading and telling the story.
Growing skills
Very early on, the baby memorizes vocabulary, establishes relationships between things, links them together and has a global understanding that sets up the first categories.
Reading further expands his world. Toddlers wander through the book at their own pace, stopping to interpret the drawings as they read and interpret the world around them.
Around 9 months of age, babies can maintain joint attention with you around the same page: they link images to the words or story they hear, pointing to the picture. These stages play an important role in language acquisition.
Playing and growing with books
Books are not only learning tools, they're also toys! Playing with books helps to build a positive relationship with reading, a valuable foundation for your child's future education.
Which books to choose for baby?
Imaginaries Imaginaries: they arouse baby's interest through a game of questions. Gradually, in line with language comprehension and the ability to represent, meaning emerges. Baby begins to associate words with images, a crucial element in language development.
Interactive booksInteractive books, such as books with flaps or audio books, arouse babies' curiosity, encouraging them to take an active part in the reading activity. These books enrich the reading experience, making the learning process even more fun and interactive.
Cloth books and bath books are perfect for toddlers. They're soft, durable and easy for little hands to handle. They awaken babies' senses and stimulate their motor development.
Sensory books offer a rich learning experience for babies. Each page presents a new texture to explore, a sound to listen to, even a smell to discover! These books stimulate all the senses, helping your baby to develop sensory perception while having fun.
Little stories: each page, with a short, precise sentence, presents an action, an emotion, a question, a surprise, an exclamation! It's a little story in itself, enabling babies to relive their own life experiences.
The little heroes: on every page, the baby finds the hero character who ensures continuity and permanence from the beginning to the end of the book. He finds the emotions such as sadness, joy, surprise and fear. Babies are very sensitive to all facial expressions.
Books: precious gifts for babies
When you give a baby a book, you're giving him the world in his little hands. A precious gift that nourishes his mind, awakens his curiosity and gives him hours of pleasure.
At LeoLudo, our passion is to provide young families with the best books and toys for their children. We're committed to helping every child grow and thrive through the magical power of books.
Very quickly, you'll be able to spot the book that encourages playful exchanges and pleasant relationships, the book that your baby is particularly fond of, that he likes to listen to and contemplate for a long time.
Explore our diverse selection and find the perfect book for your baby!
