Are you raising a young reader and looking for books for your 6-12 month old baby? Early reading has been positively linked to so many benefits for children, so I am not surprised you are starting early.
In this post I share some of my daughter’s favourite books at this age range, including board books, paperback books and sing-a-long books.
Even if your little one is younger or older than 6-12 months, I am sure you will find some great reads on this list that your family will love. I’ve made it a habit of exposing my daughter to books of varying age levels, and tailoring them to her current develop. This way the same books can appeal to her at different ages. Keep reading to find out more!
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Setting the Foundation for Reading
Reading has been such an essential part of our daughter’s development so far. From the day we brought her home from the hospital, we began reading to her. We exposed her to different books and stories, knowing that it would have lifelong benefits!
I love this quote by ‘Raising Readers’ that says “Children fall in love with books because of the memories created when they snuggle up and read with someone they love.”
It rings so true in our family. Even at her young age, our daughter loves to snuggle up with one of us with a book in hand. It has become one of her daily habits, that we thoroughly encourage. Now that she is a little older, she enjoys “reading” as an independent activity. You can often find her sitting somewhere looking at the pictures or calling out words for things she recognizes in her books.
The Importance of Reading to Your Baby from Birth
If you haven’t already read my blog post about why you should begin reading to your baby from birth, you can check it out here. It highlights the many benefits of early reading, including boosting language acquisition, increasing exposure to a wide range of vocabulary and fostering creativity! You can start as early as you are able, and it is encouraged to make it apart of your baby’s daily routines, for example, at bedtime.
Reading to Baby: Why you Should Start from Birth!
Choosing Books to Read
We enjoy exposing our daughter to different types of stories and books. We try to source a range of different board books, paperback books and picture books so that she encounters different reading levels and styles.
I think it is important to expose her to books about people from different cultures and backgrounds, and about familiar things she encounters at this age level, such as animals.
Overtime, I have noticed that she has developed her favourites. The ones she never seems to get sick of reading over and over again.
Similarly, we select books at different reading levels. Because we are still reading to her at this point, we tailor what we read and focus on to her current developmental level. For example, for a younger baby you can read one page from a longer book or for a toddler who is working on developing vocabulary, you can identify various objects they in the illustrations.
Sharing Our Favourite Books from 6-12 Months
In today’s post, I want to share some of our current favourite books in hopes that your little ones may enjoy them too!
They really are a diverse selection, so there is something for every baby and family, and every type of reader.
Check them out!
Jojo and Gran Gran Visit the Farm
We’re loving the JoJo and Gran Gran series and have recently read our newest library edition, Jojo and Gran Gran Visit the Farm. The Jojo and Gran Gran is a fun series that recounts the adventures of a little girl and her Grandmother.
We enjoyed the first book we read in this series so much (Jojo and Gran Gran Go to the Beach) that we had to get another to add to our library.
Even though this book is a bit long for my daughter’s current attention span at 6-12 months, she loves the vivid illustrations! We break it up into manageable chunks for her attention span and read it throughout the day. The picture glossary is a great addition for infants and toddlers learning new vocabulary.
I am Empowered
This is a part of a book series that includes titles like “I am respectful”, “I am caring” and “I am confident”.
The series features situational examples that kids can relate to in order to learn the importance of these values.
My daughter loves that they are flip books that have hidden passages under little flaps. We enjoy flipping them together to see what’s underneath.
Baby Goes to Market
Baby Goes to Market is a fun board book that features simple sentences that my daughter can follow along with.
The story is fun and lighthearted, featuring items that she can recognize. It also includes simple counting, perfect for the 6-12 month age range, which makes it a great way to practice with baby.
The illustrations are bright and colourful, making it visually appealing to her as well.
Where’s Mr Duck?
Where’s Mr Duck? has been one of my daughter’s favourite books for some time now. II think it has a lot to do with the brightly coloured flaps inside.
This is another board book that makes it easy for her to turn the pages and read independently. She loves the flaps that hide the animals and insects, and the fact that they are made from felt make it easy for her to flip them on her own.
The best part about this book, in my opinion, is that it includes a mirror which I feel that all babies in the 6-12 month age range will love! My daughter stares into it and smiles at herself each and every time we read this favourite.
Dino Loves Pizza
My husband and I can both recite this book from memory! That’s because we read it at least 3 times each day. My daughter absolutely love hearing about Dino’s food adventures, and looks forward to pressing the squeaky toy in the centre of the book every time we read it.
Also in our collection are other books from this Hippo Books series, including “Koala’s Cool Band” and “I Love You Little Giraffe“. Two of her other absolute favourites and daily reads, perfect for little ones in the 6-12 month age group!
The Dinky Donkey
The Dinky Donkey is a fun rhyming story about a cute little donkey and their mother. The illustrations are large and baby friendly.
A very easy read that captures baby’s attention because of the repetition and rhyming.
My First Colours
Exposure to simple vocabulary that is relevant for a baby during their first year, like colours and objects they see around the house, is important at my daughters age.
During the first year baby’s little brain is absorbing everything that it hears and sees, which becomes very evident when they start uttering their first babbles and eventually their first few words.
That is why I love this simple book about colours, that provides many picture examples of common objects you can find around the home for baby.
It features familiar objects that your infant would likely be exposed to on a regular basis to help give them familiar representations, while they learn about colours.
My First 100 Words
This is a popular choice among new parents and I can see why! My first 100 words includes common words that you likely use with your baby everyday. It separates common vocabulary into categories like myself, bedtime, meal time and food to help your baby distinguish between these categories.
This is a great way to expose them to vocabulary with clear images!
Itsy Bitsy Spider
This read-a-long book of a classic favourite song ‘itsy bitsy spider’ features the melody at the push of a button, perfect for our 6 to 12 month olds who are having fun learning about ’cause and effect’. My daughter enjoys listening to it over and over again while we read the story about the spider.
It’s brightly coloured and features felt characters at the top of each page. The frog is her favourite!
Young, Black and Gifted (Mirror Edition)
This awesome book teaches little ones about well known black figures, in a simple, yet captivating way. It includes short but captivating pages about artists, historical figures, athletes and politicians.
Your little one will love the illustrations, but better yet, the mirror inside will keep them entertained, looking at their reflection! I love that this book come in a ‘wide eyed’ version, perfect for little readers, who can benefit from the large font.
Final Thoughts
I hope that you enjoyed checking out some of our favourite reads from 6-12 months, and that you will enjoy sharing them with your little one as much as I have.
Reading is such an important part of your baby’s first year of life, setting the stage for nurturing a lifelong reader!
I Would Love to Hear from You
Do you have some other favourite to add to this list? I would love to hear about them. Feel free to contact me or share them in the comments below so that other moms can check them out too.
