The first three years of a baby’s life are critical for brain development. Reading to your child even before they can speak will set them up for success.

Children who are read to more often have better language and listening skills, better attention skills, and are more likely to love reading later on.

So what is reading to a one-year-old like?

You might notice your baby starting to speak their first words around age one, and they might start initiating story time too.

One-year-olds are busy people (!), so you will need to ensure storytime is interactive to keep them engaged.

What books are good for 1 year olds?

Look for:

• Books you can sing. Our favorites for this age include Jazz Baby, We All Sing with the Same Voice and Car, Car, Truck Jeep.
• Books with photographs of faces and items familiar to your baby, to encourage pointing and naming. My First Learn-to-Talk Book and Shades of People are wonderful options.
• Colorful books. Peek-a-Moo and The Baby Goes Beep pop, and are extremely interactive.
• Books that incorporate animal sounds (“moo” counts as a first word…). This Little Chick and I Heard a Little Baa are must-haves!
• Not too many words per page. Having fewer words per page means that you turn the pages more frequently, which can help to keep your baby’s attention.
• Books that can be paired with gross motor movement (stand on one leg like a flamingo in A Busy Day For Birds!).
• Books with predictable, repetitive and/or rhyming text. Pause and let your little one finish the sentence to encourage them to say more words during storytime. Dear Zoo and Where’s Spot are great for completion prompts.

Here are our favourite titles for this age group!