These resources are brought to you by the Cooperative Extension System and your Local Institution

Parenting Home

Have a question? Try asking one of our Experts

Curl Up with a Good Book to Help Your Eight Month Old Become a Reader

Last Updated: September 26, 2008

View as web page


Parenting Tips for Your 8 Month Old Baby

Research shows that children who use books from a very young age become better readers.

Choose books with bright, colorful pictures. Books with a few simple pictures and a few simple words on a page are great for your baby now.

Look for books that can stand up to wear and tear. Choose plastic, cloth, or coated cardboard books.

At first, your baby may enjoy sitting on your lap and listening to you name the pictures.

Babies learn most from real life. Find books that have pictures of other babies doing everyday activities such as eating, sleeping, taking a bath, and playing. Find books with simple pictures of things that your baby sees often, such as apples, shoes, keys, cars, dogs. Show your baby the real object and the picture in the book.

Babies like to play with their books. They chew on the books, try to turn the pages, squeal, and slap the pages. They like to hear the same book read to them again and again and again. Find time every day for sharing books together.


Learn more about Your 8 Month Old Baby from Just In Time Parenting. You can also go to our Resource Links for additional information on child care and development.
Note to Parents: When reading this newsletter, remember: Every baby is different. Children may do things earlier or later than described here. This newsletter gives equal space and time to both sexes. If he or she is used, we are talking about all babies.
References: These materials were adapted by authors from Extension Just in Time Parenting Newsletters in California, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.

Browse related Articles by tag: parenting, 8 month old child


Have a specific question? Try asking one of our Experts

Unlike most other resources on the web, we have experts from Universities around the country ready to answer your questions.