Once you become a parent, you take the path of nurturing your child to become the person you want him to be. You offer whatever support you can give to your child to aid his development. You expose him to different situations and introduce him to some of the essential things in his life. And he starts becoming a human being that you can be proud of.
The time your child can notice things around him is when you can start exposing him to books. Books are a treasure for a child. You can expose him to different places he will read in the books. He will learn about different sights, sounds, colors, and even smells that he will observe when he reads. It opens your child’s mind to new things and helps him start forming many complex thoughts which will influence him throughout his life.
Teaching children to read before they are even two years old is possible. But if you want them to learn the basics, you have to use books in accordance with your child’s level.
Why is it Important to Teach Reading at an Early Age?
It is said that a child’s brain is much more active in the first few years of his life. The neurons and synapses in the brain are still establishing their connections and growing. The child’s brain is also very flexible during these times. Children are like sponges; they absorb everything they see around them. So, exposing your child to reading can be an excellent way to develop your Cultivate a Child’s Early Literacy Skills. Many experts believe that reading can improve your child’s ability to pay attention, process language and memory skills as well as other intellectual skills.
Reading to your child is also one of the best ways to help him develop his imagination and creativity. It, in turn, will help enhance some of his other skills like problem-solving, rational thinking, decision-making, and other areas. Your child can also learn about nature and how things work around him through the books you read together.
As a leading Montessori preschool that serves Culver City in California, Montessori Academy is aware of young children’s needs, especially when it comes to books that fit their reading level. With that in mind, we give you the six steps that will help you choose the book that can help your child get started reading easily.
6 Easy Steps to Choosing Books at your Child’s Reading Level

1. Know your Child’s Preferences
You should also know the books your child likes best to ensure that he does a good job reading them. You may want to make him read over and over again some of his favorite stories because he will learn new words and improve his pronunciation with every reading session he does. The better he reads, the more you can help him comprehend the story.
2. Choosing the Right Book for Your Child
You must know that every child is different. For example, some children like to read stories with bright colors and vivid illustrations while others prefer plain but easy reading books. You should find those books they will like best and which will suit their age easily. You can find some books in every book store or online, but others are more special and difficult to find. So, you may have to search them out from many places or even purchase them online.
3. Choose Simple Cause and Effect Books
Children learn best when they can understand how things work. Therefore, you should choose books that have few words or not so many words at a time. The cause and effect books will help your child understand what is happening in the story. It will give him essential skills in reading as well as writing. These books are usually written in very simple language that most children will read easily and comprehend what is being said.
4. Select Books that are Relatively Short
Children have short attention spans. They can only read a few pages at a time before getting bored or distracted. So, finding books that are short and easy is best for your child. It will help them not get distracted and keep their excitement about reading more. Books like The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and Little Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood by Timothy Tocher are examples of this category.
5. Choose Books with Repeated Text or Words that Rhyme
These types of books are favorites for a lot of children. The repeated text or words rhyme will keep your child’s attention for longer periods. Some of these books have even been found to increase the child’s ability to take in new information, memory skills, cause and effect learning, concentration, and speech development. Books like The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes by Raymond Briggs, A Child’s Treasury of Nursery Rhymes, and The Orchard Book of Nursery Rhymes are examples of this category.
6. Wordless Books with Bright-Colored Pictures
The children who have a better eye for color and abstracts will enjoy the pictures in these books much more. These are often drawn in a very interesting way without any words or text. The result is that the child has to use his imagination to create meaning from what he can read. But this will help him develop his visual perception as well as his storytelling skills. The Farmer and the Clown, by Marla Frazee, Spencer’s New Pet, by Jessie Sima, and Door, by Jihyeon Lee are some of the best wordless books.
A kid doesn’t have an innate ability to read; reading is a skill that has been nurtured and developed for many years. To help your child develop reading skills, you should expose him to reading from birth. Reading to your child from the day he is born will help him learn how to listen, follow instructions, and develop a love for reading.
How to Read Books with Your Child?

You can do a lot of things with your child when you read books together.
- You can do simple acts like pointing at objects in the book while saying their names aloud.
- You can sing a song or any other song that you like while reading a book.
- You can read books that have stories about animals, fruits and vegetables or even birds.
- You can do actions in the book like bringing a toy to life, putting food on the table, and other simple activities to do with your child while you read the book together.
- You can also make funny faces or sounds when you read funny stories. You can laugh with them when they laugh or become sad together when they are sad.
- You can point out your child’s favorite things in the book and ask him what he thinks is happening in the story as you read together so that he will enjoy listening to you more and learn the rhythm of language better at an early age.
- You can also make up a story together when you read books that have large pictures with no words or books that do not have stories, such as the wordless books or the alphabet books.
It is never too early to start reading to your child. In Montessori Academy, we believe it is ideal to expose kids to read every day from birth. This way, your child will grow up to be a good reader and ready to learn even more. When you follow these easy steps on reading with your kid, it will help you and your child enjoy reading together a lot more.