The first year of a baby’s life is the most important for the development of her social, cognitive and motor skills. What about reading skills? Could these be developed at such a tender age? Indeed they can be! Teach your baby to enjoy books, and she will grow up to be an adult who enjoys reading. How to do this? By transforming books and reading into a playful, fun game.

Here are 5 tips that will make books your baby’s favorite toy:

Read and feed. Breastfeeding mothers know that feeding consists much of a newborn’s schedule, and many use the time for reading.

Well then, why not dedicate some of this time to reading aloud? Read to your baby while breastfeeding, or get your spouse to read for both of you. Associating reading with feeding means associating reading with warmth, security and comfort. Hearing you speak has a beneficial effect, as the baby becomes accustomed to your tone of voice. The baby may not understand the words or the plot, but she is getting used to your reading’s rhythms and tones (which are different from those of regular talking).

As a bonus, you get to exercise your reading-aloud skills. You don’t have to read a “children’s book” (unless you want to). I recommend choosing something relaxing and soothing, that you can enjoy yourself.
Read and hug. Sit your child in your lap or cuddle with her in bed. Establish a connection between books and a close embrace. Your child will come to love books through these fond memories.
Read and play. Play with your child while you’re reading to her. Point at pictures, clap your hands, make funny noises, bark and hiss.

.. the possibilities are endless. Kids love drama and just-being-silly moments, so don’t be shy! Some books come with playtime “instructions”, and you may use them to get ideas.
Treat books as toys. Books are not museum items. They should be, and can be, played with. Don’t put the books on a high shelf — place them with other toys, so the baby can pick one and enjoy it all by herself. Today’s babies’ books are made of hard cardboard and are relatively durable. Some books are designed to be played with, like “lift-the-flap” and “touch-and-feel” books.

Let your child touch, feel, throw around and chew the book. This is her way of exploring. Soon enough she’ll start turning the pages all by herself, and even pretend to read, baby-talking and imitating your playful reading.
Don’t be discouraged. Your baby is, after all, only a baby. Do not expect her to instantly react to a story. In all likelihood, during the first months she will not cooperate and not show active interest in your reading. Wait patiently. You may not be able to see it, but learning is happening, all the time.

If she crawls away while you’re reading, let her. If she wants to turn pages at the wrong time, let her (she’s playing with the book — isn’t that our goal?). If she’s not into the book — close it and try reading another time. Learning is a slow process, but a very rewarding one. The seeds that you sow will bloom and grow when the time comes, and then you will all enjoy their fruit.

Noa Stoffman is the writer of Worming Up, a blog concerning the Nature of Stories, book reviews, and literature. Check out http://www.book-stories.com