At month four, your child is beginning to develop a sense of herself, and how she relates to the world around her. She demonstrates this by smiling, communicating, reaching out, and engaging in activities.
Through some wonderful books, you can help your child explore the world through touch and sound. They may make sounds – like crunching – or have rough or smooth surfaces to touch.
In the classic Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt, the brother and sister in the story get to pat the soft bunny or touch Daddy’s scratchy face. This was my daughter’s longtime favorite. She loved looking at herself and making faces in the book’ mirror. As my daughter grew older, she would rub my husband’s face in the morning, and chuckle with a smile, “Scratchy face.”
On The Farm
by Dana V. Swartz (Author) and Francesca Ferri (Illustrator), was my daughter’s favorite interactive, fabric book. In this book, your child gets to turn each fabric page. As the story unfolds, she puts items in her little fabric basket attached to the book – an egg from the hen’s nest or an apple from the apple tree. I would ask my daughter, “Where is the apple in the tree?” She would reach for it. Because your child now has a greater sense of herself, she starts to become interested in real life images of everyday items and animals. Along the way, the story provides great opportunity to build language and vocabulary.
My Best Friends
by Margaret Miller has beautiful photos of children and their pets. Each page has a simple picture with one word on the page. For example, the page for “hugging” has two children hugging their pets. As we read this book, my daughter would hug her favorite stuffed animal.
These books will help you engage your child’s emerging developing sense of self.
What books did your child love at this age?
Links to Earlier Months: Your Child’s Journey to Becoming an Early Reader
