Author Laura Sassi is joining us today with some great tips for reading board books to our littles. As a special treat, Paraclete Press is offering a copy of Laura’s newest book Happy Easter, Risen King! to one reader. Please comment on this blog post to get your name in the hat (US only). A winner will be chosen one week from today.

Welcome, Laura!

Every night when my kids were little – starting when they were babies – we wrapped up our day with some cozy reading time, followed by a lullaby and a prayer. It was precious time on many levels as we enjoyed the joy of togetherness, the cozy calm of settling down for the night, the connections we were making through the board books we explored, and the faith seeds that were planted as we sang of God’s love and wrapped it all up in a prayer.

Now, in celebration of the joy of doing all of the above using board books as the hook, here are 8 tips for reading board books with babies and toddlers, using my newest board book Happy Easter, Risen King! as the joyful model. 

Tip #1: Make reading time special. Get cozy. Snuggle. Remember, reading the board book at hand is about more than just reading. It’s about bonding, interacting and fostering a love of books and storytelling, and in the case of exploring faith-based books, letting your children know, from the very beginning, how much God loves them. 

Tip #2: Pause as you read to ask simple, interactive questions. In Happy Easter, Risen King! for example, you could ask: “Where’s the sun?”  “Who is in the garden?”  “What’s the angel doing?”  

Tip #3: Add simple actions and/or sounds. In Happy Easter, Risen King! for example, you could have your children squeak like the little mice that appear in almost every spread. For actions, they could pretend to carry jars of perfume or to be picking up petals along the path in the story.

Tip #4: Vary the delivery. Sing the story. Use different voices. My children especially loved when I sang the stories we read. Try singing Happy Easter, Risen King! to the tune of “Happy Birthday to You” and see how it goes. Fun, right? 

Tip #5: Let toddlers turn the pages. Anticipate together what will happen on the next page. Then see if you were right.

Tip #6: Point and name things as you read. In Happy Easter, Risen King! for example, you can have your toddler point to and name the colors, etc. 

Tip #7: Extend the story with an activity. For Happy Easter Risen King! it might be fun to go on a color hunt or paint a rainbow. Another idea would be to build a cave tomb, similar to the one in the story, by putting a blanket over a couple of chairs. Then, with your child, take turns peeking in and rejoicing because Jesus isn’t there! He has risen, just like He said he would!

Tip #8: Read the same stories again and again… if they ask! That’s how they learn and grow. And remember, to wrap it all up in with a hug and a prayer.

Happy Easter, Risen King! is available wherever books are sold. Learn more about Laura and all her books at http://www.laurasassitales.wordpress.com/

Thank you so much, Laura! These are great tips for reading board books with the littles. Everyone, be sure to comment below to get your name in the hat to win a copy of Happy Easter, Risen King! Thank you, Paraclete Press! Laura’s board book is just right for Easter!