Reading with children is fun and is one of the best ways to prepare them for school and beyond. Children learn about the value and importance of reading as they watch their family reading and writing every day.

Reading books and being read to, is an important factor in every child's life. Reading opens new doors for children, allowing them to explore other parts of the world, new ideas, new concepts, new cultures and novel innovations. Reading to kids when they are young instills joy of discovery in children and encourages a desire to learn and read more in later years. Studies also show that the earlier babies are exposed to reading, the more they will enjoy reading and learning and the better they will perform in school.

Reading to your child encourages speech and language development and is a great way for you to interact and communicate with your child early on. Reading is a valuable skill that expands vocabulary enabling children to develop better written and verbal communication skills. With an improved vocabulary children make friends more easily and are better equipped to communicate. Improved spelling and written work gives students more confidence and can help improve self esteem. Children's books are filled with wonderful tales, characters, and adventures: these are memories that kids will have for the rest of their lives.

Here's how to get started with your little one:

Keep it short: Infants have short attention spans, so read for 10 to 15 minutes, once or twice a day.

What to read: For the first few months, read what you enjoy. After that, use board or fabric books so your baby can explore the book with you. "It's okay if they eat the pages," says Dr. Remer-Altman. By four or five months, babies like to look at images they are familiar with, like other babies, animals and basic objects.

Repetition: If you read the same story over and over your baby will learn at what points he or she should laugh and get excited by the changes in your voice.

Watch baby evolve: By six to nine months, your baby will start to copy you and turn multiple pages at a time. They will also be able to engage in flip up books. Board books are best until age one, as paper books tend to get chewed and torn.

An enlightened reader: By about one-year your child will be able to flip single pages in a book. They will also stop using the pages as a teether, so it's a great time to start introducing paper books.

According to a U.S. Department of Education 2003 report, "Hearing words over and over helps her become familiar with them. Reading to your baby is one of the best ways to help him or her learn." In that same report, the Department of Education also recommends that parents reach out to groups that can:

• Help find age-appropriate books to use at home
• Show creative ways to use books with your child and other tips to to help her learn; and
• Provide year-round children's reading and educational activities
  

The same report suggests additional strategies for early literacy:

• When reading a book with large print, point at each word as you read it. Your child will understand that the word being spoken is the word she sees.
• Read a favorite book over and over again.
• Read stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat, and have your child join in.
• Read from a variety of children's books, including fairy tales, poems and non-fiction.

The more strategies you can incorporate into your child's reading experience, the more likely you are to help your child develop into a strong reader.

Below are a couple great websites to get you and your child started reading!

http://www.kcls.org/parents/kidsandreading/readytoread/literacyskills.cfm

http://www.kcls.org/parents/kidsandreading/readytoread/booklists.cfm

http://www.del.wa.gov/kids/readingcorner.aspx

And don't forget! KidsQuest has an interactive storytime every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am.