This may be a silly question, but. . .

[La Condessa]

My fourteen-month-old daughter has started bringing chapter books to my husband or I and begging until we start to read them out loud to her. And it has to be certain books that she has chosen, not just any big book sitting around. (Usually from The Codex Alera or Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal.) A few nights ago we finished the picture book of spanish bedtime stories we were reading before bedtime, so I started just reading Harry Potter instead of another picture book, and we've continued with it each night. Since then, she's been far less insistent in begging for these books the rest of the time.

 

Is this probably just a desire to imitate Mommy and Daddy? Could she actually be getting anything from reading these books? I honestly don't even know how much Spanish she understands, beyond a few basics.

[LisaDSB]

I read to my kids from the time they were newborns. I think there's real value to a young child in hearing someone read aloud (in whatever language). I would read whatever she asks, subject to the caveat that she may understand more than you think, and dark themes in books like Harry Potter might be scary if she does, in fact, comprehend them.

 

As for the Spanish -- what better way to pick up another language than to hear it regularly as a young child. She may not grasp everything (she wouldn't have understood everything you said in English when she was a newborn, but that didn't stop you from speaking to her, right?) but she's developing her ear for the language.

 

Sounds like a smart kiddo who knows what she needs!

[Tracy]

If she is sitting through entire chapters, I would assume that it is more than just imitating. She may not understand what is being read to her (or maybe she does), but she is spending the time figuring it out. It seems like a passive experience, but toddlers are active by nature, and you should assume that this is an active experience for her. But it may be a while before you know what is going on her head.

[Gratia271]

Avoid making assumptions regarding what she does/not understand. All of my children comprehended far more than they could emotionally handle at very early ages. Protecting their emotional well being while cultivating their intellect can be a tough balancing act.

[La Condessa]

Thank you all.

 

I, too, have read to her since she was a newborn. And we do Spanish time every night during bath time and her bedtime routine, so I know she knows some basics. I'm just not sure how much she could really understand, since I'm the only one who consistently sticks with it, and I don't speak Spanish very well myself. Harry Potter is a challenging read for me. (Dad is fluent, but he'll generally speak Spanish to her for a day and then forget for the next few weeks.)

 

She doesn't sit through whole chapters, more like three or four pages, but that is a long time for this child. She's a very high energy kid that generally doesn't stop moving when she's awake.

 

I guess I'll just go ahead as we've been doing, and maybe eventually we'll find out if this means anything. Thank you for the feedback and for providing a place where I can ask questions like this without feeling dumb.