Cuddle Up and Read

Winter weather can be unpredictable, but it’s a great time to cuddle up and read with your little one. No matter how little your child is, you can establish a cozy reading routine together. Then, that routine can change as they grow! Read on for some of our snuggle time suggestions.

Share a Snuggle

Cuddles help your child feel loved and connected to you. Starting as an infant, hold your child close as you read together. This creates a peaceful and safe environment, and those good feelings often translate to a love of reading. As your child grows, make sure they can also see the pictures and manipulate the book while you read together.

Create a Reading Nook

Create a special space where you and your child read together. It might include a comfy chair, pillows, blankets, a window or lamp, and books nearby. As your child grows, this space will likely change. Eventually, it can become an independent reading space, too!

Sing Lullabies and Recite Nursery Rhymes

Lullabies are scientifically proven to calm and soothe your child. They introduce your child to music and support language, speech, and cognitive development. As you sing to your baby, personalize their lullabies by adding their name, family members, or favorite things. As your child grows, encourage them to sing along with you. For preschoolers, practice sharing nursery rhymes, too. These build memory and introduce new vocabulary and ideas.

Follow Your Child’s Lead

Keep your reading sessions short and fun! This will help your child associate good feelings with reading. Read slowly and spend time looking at the pictures together. As your child grows, let them choose the book you read, hold it, and help turn the pages. Refresh the books in your reading space often to keep them fun and engaging for your little one. Having a frequently rotated (but smaller) selection of books also keeps your child from being overwhelmed. If your child isn’t interested, put the books away and try again another time.

Looking for additional chances to cuddle up with a good book? Join us for some of these upcoming programs.

Snuggle Time

Put on PJs and bring your baby with their blankie or stuffed animal for snuggles, calming books, and lullabies

• Parr Library | Tuesday, January 23 at 6:30pm
• Harrington Library | Thursday, February 8 at 10am
• Haggard Library | Monday, February 26 at 11am
• Davis Library | Wednesday, March 27 at 11am | Wednesday, April 17 at 11am

Reading Readiness Storytimes

Plano Public Library offers a variety of age-appropriate storytimes that teach early literacy and reading readiness skills for children. See our full spring storytime schedule here.

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Read any book to your newborn, infant, toddler, or preschooler. You can repeat books to reach the 1000-book milestone. Track your progress online via Readsquared or with paper reading logs.