By Holly Engel-Smothers
Your little ones have grown and actually surprise you when they reach new developmental milestones. It makes people jump and cheer, make long-distance phone calls, and take tons of video and still pictures. Let's examine how the milestones from 4-6 months will add to the ways you "book play" with your twins.
Your twins will be gaining strength. They will hold their heads steadier. When put on their tummies, the twins will do a "mini-push-up" using their arms for support. These push-ups will continue and give them upper body strength that will be necessary for rolling over and sitting up.
Prop books for your babies to see as they examine their new world. Everything looks different to your twins now, and there is a lot to take in. Hold up books and point to pictures. Name the pictures. Your twins are learning to focus at a longer range, and the bright pictures encourage this.
Don't worry about boring your babies. Your voice, enthusiasm and love make your babies happy. Watch for signs of a favorite picture: kicking legs, smiles, babbling, and giggles. If you are borrowing this book from the library, it may be one to add to your personal library.
The babbling your babies have begun to do is imitating the sounds they have heard in their environment and from hearing books. Babies pick up and remember the sounds they hear and lose sounds not needed in their own language. This is what I like to call a "Parent Report Card Time": You are getting feedback from your babies, kind of like a grade on a test. The more you have read and spoken and sung to your babies, the more they will babble back at this stage.
Your babies will most likely roll over during this time period. They'll master flipping and then realize their newfound skill enables them to get books and toys that are slightly out of reach. Choose a board book with simple, bright pictures, preferably those with faces. Stand the book up just a little bit away from your twins. Lie on your belly and encourage them to roll toward the book. You can help them roll through a gentle push or achieve a reach by moving the book closer. After just a few tries, your twins will be rolling and flipping across the floor (time for baby gate checks).
Look for books that have textured pictures: fuzzy kittens, scaly fish, and smooth eggshells. Holding one baby at a time in your lap, take her hand and run it over the "touchable" pictures. Your baby will be enchanted. And, again, a new experience will help your babies' brains to connect and grow, which enables them to reach the next milestone with ease.
Sharing books with your twins early in life increases your children's interest in and love for books throughout their lives. Experiences need to be positive, regular and frequent. Those baby brains are growing second by second. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to encourage this growth. Won't you feel proud when you get your next "Parent Report Card"?
[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.]