6 Books to Read with Your Toddler at Home
One simple thing you can do with your kids while under Corona Quarantine, and with daycares closed: Read!
I admire all the moms on social media who have their littles’ days planned out by the hour, but that is just not a reality in our home right now. We definitely do learning activities with Brooklyn every day, but we are much more flexible with our time, and we keep her schedule simple, because that is what works for us. Brooklyn has always loved books, and being read to, and this gives us an opportunity to do that even more! I read somewhere that reading 5 books per day can dramatically increase the vocabulary of a child ages 0-5; we read more than that on most days, but if you can manage at least 5, you’re in good shape!
We’ve read some of Brooklyn’s books so many times that she now has some of her favorites memorized! And now that she knows her letters, she loves pointing those out too.
Her MOST favorite books are the ones that feature little brown girls and families that look like hers, ones that talk about hair, and ones that show diversity. Here are 6 books you should read with your toddler while at home while daycares are closed, a few of our favorites from Brooklyn’s library:
Sulwe by Lupita Nyongo
Hair Love, the book accompaniment to the Oscar Winning Hair Love Movie, by Matthew A. Cherry
Little Leaders, Bold Women in Black History by the uber talented illustrator Vashti Harrison
Dream Big, Little One also by Vashti Harrison (all 4 of the books mentioned above are actually illustrated by Vashti!).
Big Hair, Don’t Care By Crystal Swain-Bates
Be Bold Baby: Michelle Obama By Alison Oliver
Even at the public library (where we haven’t been in a while because of the current Coronavirus situation) she gravitates towards books with characters on the cover with brown skin. It makes me so happy that these books exists for her in a way that definitely wasn’t in abundance when I was 3 years old. And reading about things you find relatable makes it easier to keep at it.
We’re always looking to add new stories to her collection. A few on our wish list are: My Name is Unique Just Like Me by Melanie White, Princess Hair by Sharee Miller, A is for Awesome—23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World by Eva Chen and Beautiful, Beautiful Me by Ashley Sirah Hinton.
What are some of your family’s favorite books, or what were your favorite books as a kid? Share with me in the comments!