We all know that babies love a good story. Any twist and turn will captivate them. A distant, otherworldly setting seems ideal and normal to them. The main character has superpowers capable of saving the world and the little ones are likely to sympathise with him and perhaps become great friends.
We believe that stories told through a book can be truly inspiring, educational and are great encouragement for children's development and growth. In fact, we can say that they are an addition and an incentive for children's creativity to be continuous and for them to be able to dream. This is fundamental for children, as they feel free and happy in what they imagine and that makes perfect sense in their world.
These days, books are a resource used by parents to entertain their little ones. Whether it's the story they tell at night before going to bed, or a story they tell in the middle of the afternoon. Any occasion is an opportunity to pick up a book and experience a beautiful story for a few moments.
In addition to this enchanted and special world that stories can have, the educational side is evident in the books we can choose from in the children's books section. Some books are more interactive than others, there are those that teach colours, numbers and the typical ones with animal sounds. All this variety gives parents the chance to give their children their first lessons and ideas.
In this way, we can consider that the collection of books for the little ones can be quite vast and difficult to choose just one. From fables, to fairy tales, to educational books, there's a whole range that parents can access, but they can't always choose the right one for their baby's age.
Well, parents, we're with you. Here at Wedoble, we love a good story and consider books to be a good source of knowledge and fun for the little ones. In a didactic way, books are great creativity boosters and a kind of a stimulus for babies' development and growth.
However, we also want to understand, like you, what kind of books are the most suitable and how books can be captivating. So off we went to do some research and delve a little deeper into this topic.
As has already been said, babies love a good story, whether short or long, even if they understand little or nothing. A story is a story, so it will hold the attention of little ones from start to finish.
For their part, books are not only captivating because of the story they tell, but also because of their purpose. The colours, materials and sounds they can include make them total objects of entertainment and capture children's attention. These characteristics allow them to enter a wonderful, dreamlike world full of emotions and feelings, which helps them to grow.
From our research, we realised that for adults, the purpose of books is clear, as explained above. However, for little ones it's more than just a story. The ideas and narrative allow the baby to start developing their convictions and beliefs. In an imaginary or real context, stories can even help structure a baby's personality in its earliest stages. Many experts say that books are good for babies and that without their imaginary scenarios and games, babies wouldn't be able to learn to speak or imagine.
Moving on to this issue of children's development, stories told in books, such as fairy tales, allow children to understand and include, in a fun and concrete way, concepts and ideas that are important for their future - the fear of abandonment, sibling rivalry, a sense of justice or injustice, among others. Stories can also include answers to some fears that children may not know how to express. In this way, they may end up calming some of them.
As we've already mentioned, reading is a time for sharing and conversation. It's a way of creating relationships and developing speech. Even if he or she doesn't understand what is being said, the images, colours, beautiful words and different textures are real triggers for different emotions and children love to share this with their parents.
Now that we know the importance and effect of books on children's growth and development, let's take a closer look at the types of books we can choose depending on their age.
What we've discovered is that at around three or four months, little ones love books with textures, such as plastic or fabric. It's natural that they don't understand the meaning of the words. They take ownership of books in a very personal way, such as putting them in their mouths and feeling their texture. You see, books are even the little ones' favourite bath object.
This tactile sense is evident and very precise in children, which means that their approach to reading changes. They like to touch the books, open and close the little compartments they may have, they like to click on the button that will make the sound they want to hear and they like to look at the various pictures full of colour and different shapes. All these aspects captivate baby's attention in their first books, which is why it's advisable for them to be mostly cardboard.
This capturing of the baby's look can also come from the small series. Some of them may be associated with certain books, so certain characters will already be familiar to the little ones. They'll definitely like them!
Of course, the last thing we want to talk about is bedtime stories. They are the main component of every night's ritual and an infallible practice for keeping our little ones calm. Some of them make it to the end of the story and ask for more, while others fall asleep and don't even make it to the story's happy ending.
For some children, stories are essential. They love their parents telling them a new story and they also like to share their own. That moment in the evening before bedtime is perfect for exchanging stories and talking about feelings, emotions or news that the parents want to share with the child and vice versa.
We think that the key word when we talk about stories and the action of opening a book and feeling it is sharing. Having this experience with our little ones, watching them grow and develop every day. Reading a book with them every day will be great for the parents' relationship with their baby. In such a simple moment, the amount of information and stimulation is immense. We certainly want to revisit this topic and be able to go into it in greater depth, as we think the influence that books have on children's growth and development is very interesting and very important. From being touched to being fascinated by the story unfolding, they will always have those little eyes watching and waiting for something that allows them to feel and express it together with their parents.
What about you? Are you keeping up with your reading at home? What are your little ones' favourite stories? Parents, what are the little things you've noticed about reading in your children's development and growth? Do they like a good story you've made up or do they have a book that tells their favourite story? How important have books been in the growth and development of your little ones? We want to know your experience. We want to know your opinion.
