By Holly Engel-Smothers
My literacy mantra is, "You can never start too early." Experts agree that the earlier a baby is read to, the better. Begin when your babies are newborns. It doesn't matter what you read. It is the sound of your voice that matters during this early period of your twins' lives.
Keep reading time with your little ones short but frequent. A goal time to shoot for is five times a day for about five minutes. You can change the reading time as you pick up on your babies' cues. Fussing and looking away are indicators that reading time is over. Calm breathing, focusing on the reader's face, and quietness are indicators that reading time can continue.
It is not true that babies can only see black and white. They see contrasts in vivid colors, such as a green frog on a blue background, a brown cat on a yellow background, a ceiling fan against a white background. Keep this in mind when choosing books.
Newborn babies can clearly see faces and items that are 8-12 inches from their faces. This is determined by nature as this is the distance between your face and your twins' faces during feeding, which allows for another way to bond. Thus, take your cue from nature: When showing pictures to your twins while reading, hold the book slightly away from their faces. You do not necessarily have to hold the book so the twins can see the picture. In fact, your babies are more likely to stare at your face.
When visiting the library, ask for help in finding the "board book" section. Since your babies are simply listening and not manipulating or chewing the book, the library is a super way for you to get to know what kinds of books are available before you buy books that your babies will eventually chew on, bang up, and sleep with.
Although you may have heart connections to a few specific books (i.e., The Runaway Bunny, Bunny My Honey, Guess How Much I Love You, Goodnight Moon), there are plenty of other great board books that are "stiff as a board and light as a feather." While feeding your babies, simply lay the book beside you and read. The pages are easy to turn and are actually made so that when you read one page, the next page pops up slightly to ensure that little ones with little fingers can grasp and turn it.
Gather some Mother Goose or nursery rhyme books. The sing-song, rhyme structure is another way to "turn on" your babies' brain. The more language your babies hear in diverse ways, the better. Sing-song, tickle songs, and lullabies all fall under the category of developing early literacy because they are all ways your baby hears and comprehends language.
There is no need to rush to build your own army of books. As with all things related to twins, easy does it. Request bookstore gift certificates, books, or nursery rhyme CDs for gifts. Pick out books that you like because, as your twins grow, they will want their favorite books read over and over again.
After all, happiness is a well-loved and well-worn book!
[NOTE FROM SUSAN HEIM: This article is one of many from parent educator and mom of twins (and a twingle), Holly Engel-Smothers, who will be sharing her wisdom and expertise on the subject of reading through this “Literacy for All” column, which will appear on a regular basis on TwinsTalk.]