The Mom I Want to Be

A homemade picture book is a personal introduction to literacy.

 

• sturdy plastic photo album with plastic photo protectors
• photographs, greeting cards, and pictures cut out of magazines
• heavy card stock
• nontoxic glue

Gather materials to get started, then let your baby’s or toddler’s interest dictate the content.  Feature family photos. Glue photos to card stock and fill album pages with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins — and you! Choose face-on images as they best replicate the vision your little one has in her mind.  Build on your child’s interests. Dogs, babies, the color purple — virtually any theme she likes will make a book she’ll treasure. Talk about the book. You don’t always need words to “read.” Name and point, and soon she will too!

• enhances language development
• builds early book awareness
• develops recognition skills