A love for literacy begins at a very young age, long before your child begins school. We recently released a list of must-have books for babies, and in this blog, we’re exploring the best books for toddlers and preschool-age children (ages 1-4).
Children in this age category are much more interactive, curious, and eager to learn, making them the perfect audience for reading high-quality books together. The goals for establishing literacy for toddlers and preschoolers are to continue fostering a love for books and language as well as begin to introduce how the relationships between letters, sounds, and words. As such, your toddler/preschooler needs plenty of exposure to using words to describe pictures, to seeing letters and hearing their sounds, and to hearing language patterns through simple sentences and rhymes.
Here is a quick list of recommendations based on our expertise and experience in daycare, toddler care, and preschool.
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?: A delightful classic from Eric Carle, this book is packed with beautiful, bright illustrations and predictable repetitive rhymes that your tot or preschool-age child will love “reading” with you. Bonus: you’ll get to talk about several animals while learning how to use descriptive phrases to describe them.
- ChickaChicka Boom Boom: More rhymes and brilliant illustrations, this book’s storyline incorporates the letters of the alphabet as characters, offering exposure to the ABCs in a fun way. And, Chicka Chicka 1,2,3 by the same author shares the same literary principles but helps readers learn numbers.
- The Pout-Pout Fish: Playful rhymes that are fun to sing guide readers through the journey of a fish who thinks his destiny is gloomy dreariness. Preschool and toddler-age children love the fun language that ignites the imagination and provides an opportunity to explore emotions.
- Goodnight, Moon: A true classic, this book is a perfect choice to explore word/object relationships given the items in the story are universally familiar. It also reads in a soothing poetic tone that makes it so appropriate as a bedtime book.
- One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish: You just can’t go wrong with anything by Dr. Seuss. In this classic early-reader book, you can expect lots of giggles along with the funny rhymes, characters, and illustrations. This book, along with all of Dr. Seuss’s Beginner Books, encourage preschool children to read independently thanks to their simple words and contextual illustrations.
Wondering how our daycare center fosters early literacy? Read more here about the programs we offer for infants, toddler daycare, and preschool serving Waterford, Clarkston, Pontiac, and other surrounding areas.