Toronto Public Library launches new #ReadyForReading guide

When Hannah was born I dusted off all my favourite childhood books in preparation of them starting their second life - belonging to my child. To be honest, some of said books were still proudly on my bookshelf (notably The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, my favourite book of all time) but hadn't been read aloud in ages.

When Hannah was a few weeks old I started reading to her, and reading books daily has become a part of our routine ever since.

But how do you teach a child to read? And how do you make reading fun?

The Toronto Public Library is launching their first ever Ready for Reading Resource Guide - Let’s Get Ready for Reading: A fun and easy guide to becoming readers. This fun and interactive publication was developed by the library, with the support of the Toronto Public Library Foundation and an anonymous donor, to provide parents and caregivers with an early literacy learning resource to assist children in developing the skills needed to become a reader.

Baby Time is FUN Time at the Toronto Public Library

On Wednesday morning, Chris and I took Hannah to her second "class". I was quite nervous about how she would react.

The first class we ever attended she cried loudly for a good 10 minutes and then fell asleep for the rest. I guess to be fair I should mention her first class was a breastfeeding class at Sunnybrook and she attended before she was even 24 hours old.

Regardless, I was still curious as to how she would behave when we took her to Baby Time at the Toronto Public Library.

The 30 minute program for babies 0-18 months old includes songs, rhymes and the reading of interactive storybooks. The class gives parents and caregivers suggestions and ideas on how to encourage reading as the child ages.

Turns out, Hannah was an almost perfect pupil (other than starring at the blond baby boy beside her for a good 10 minutes - first crush already?!?!).  She cooed and even joyfully squealed while we sang some of the songs. I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed bouncing her, tickling her and singing to her too. And I even learned some new songs that I now sing to Hannah at home!

We will definitely be going back when the program resumes at our library in July. In the meantime, I can't wait to take her to Baby Sign at our branch which is starting in a couple of weeks.

To learn more about Baby Time and to find a library near you that runs the free program, please visit www.torontopubliclibrary.ca. Please note some locations require registration before the class.