Parent Talk

Read to Your Kids

Click to view videos produced by LibrosForKids.org Albuquerque, NM

We are confident that with the help of the Dollywood Foundation and our friends in the New Mexico Legislature we can bring the Imagination Library to ALL of New Mexico’s preschool children.  Stay tuned!

Playtime Hints

• Sing with your baby. They don’t care whether you’re a
  good singer. They only care that you’re singing to them!
• Talk to your baby. Talk about the food you’re giving them,
  or about red socks or yellow socks, or about bath time. Talk to your baby with a silly voice.
• Play  with your baby. Play peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake or “Where is your nose?, your ears, or your toes…”

First Love 

Early bonding between parent and infant is important, and books 
are the perfect tools to help you connect with your baby.  Reading to your baby at an early age will help your child link books with love, security, and joy  – and a love of reading is born!

• Read together
• Turn off the TV
• Set “lights out” 30 minutes later than bedtime to build in reading time
• Plant books around the house where your child might pick them up and browse through
• Share conversations with your child over meal times and other times you are together
• Be a reader and writer yourself
• Visit a local library often
• Be your child’s best advocate
• Read and practice the tips given in many of the Imagination Library books

Reading Hints

• Move your body in time with the rhythm of the words.
• Cuddle at appropriate times. Hold your baby with one arm and the book with the other.
• Turn over pages with flair.
• Use an animated voice, sing, and use facial expressions.
• Give your baby time to soak up the pictures, and occasionally run your finger under the words as you say them.
• Carry a book with you at all times.  It’s the perfect form of entertainment when you’re waiting.

Age-Appropriate Concepts and Tips

Children of different ages require different stimulation, different activities and different interactions. The books are carefully selected by a panel of child development experts to match the needs of a typical child of that age and to fit the following themes — click the Year in each group below for more information: