Tips for parents

Congratulations on the birth of your child!

You are probably already an expert on your baby’s needs: when it needs to be fed, changed, bathed and dressed, and when it wants to sleep or spend time with you. But soon your baby will embark on the biggest adventure of all: discovering the world for itself. And you can help your baby on its voyage of discovery.

Talking is very important for a child’s development:
in order to be understood by others,
in order to make sense of the world,
in order to ask questions,
in order to learn reading, writing and arithmetic.

But a child doesn’t learn to talk by itself. It needs the love and support and the opportunity to communicate with somebody close: with you.
That’s why you should sing and talk with your child as much as possible.

Books can help with this; picture books to start with:
you can look at them together,
they convey information in a simple way,
they stir the imagination,
they bring the world into your home,
they help improve concentration,
they prepare a child for learning at an early age,
they prepare for a child’s start in kindergarten or school,
you’ll be helping your child to entertain itself alone sometimes.

Take time to read aloud to your child, when you’re out and about or cuddled up on the sofa at home. Do it for your child and for yourself.

You can read aloud to your child anywhere:
in bed, on the sofa, in the buggy, on a park bench, on the grass.
Books are good deterrent against boredom:
in a doctor’s waiting room, on a long journey, or in the queue at the supermarket.
Books help children to unwind:
as a good-night story, or if your child can’t sleep or is ill.

You can get advice at your local library:
picture books for every age,
books to read aloud,
informational books for children on subjects like animals, football, science or history, pre-school knowledge (colours, numbers, alphabet),
CDs or cassettes with songs and stories,
magazines,
reference books on various subjects such as upbringing, health, wellness, finger games, children’s games, handicrafts, cooking.
And of course lots of reading material and modern media for you.