The rumors are true!
The mutants have turned one year old.
The house is crazier nowadays with the two walking and running all over the place. Nicholas is stronger than ever and has already attempted to climb out of his crib. Antoinette is a braver version of her 11-month-old self and tries to do the laundry on her own.
In between being surprise of the twins’ physical development and my ability to be very patient in the face of poopy diapers, I manage to create what I call a “starter library” at home.
There’s not much in it yet. When we moved here last March, I brought along some picture books from my reading nook in Cebu (which I called Book Shelves and Tea Spot) and I also bought some more books when I had the chance to visit my hometown last month. What we have are mostly children’s storybooks written by Filipino authors. I am big on introducing the children to their Filipino roots because I want them to be proud of the race that continues to fight for freedom from oppression and corruption.
I read to the kids everyday and every single time I finish our storytelling session, I would be very exhausted. Storytelling takes a lot of my energy because I give it all. At one year old, Nick and Toni have discovered that reading is not a sedentary activity and I have to adjust to that new discovery.
I have been receiving emails and messages asking for tips and tricks in reading to one-year-olds and here is my attempt to give some from my experience as Nanay (mother) to two, restless, young ones.
1. Surround Your Home With Books
In other words, build a starter library. I picked a corner of the house that is basically idle. We have a shelf there full of magazines from my husband’s Beijing Olympic days and thousands of DVDs that have since develop a close relationship with dust. I transferred some of the kids books there but I made sure that books are still available inside their room, in the living room, our home office, and even on top of the dining table. The goal here is to make books part of your home so they grow to be individuals, who appreciate those wonderful hardbounds and paperbacks.
2. Get Caught Reading
It’s one thing to surround them with books; it’s another thing for them to actually see us open a book and read it. I noticed that at one year old, Nick and Toni imitate what we do and say. Jeff speaks English, I speak a combination of English and Cebuano, while our cleaners speak Cantonese and Mandarin. I wonder how these four languages register in their young minds. What I am sure though is that they mimic what we say and do. They can easily absorb anything that is happening in our home. They pick up moods – they know when I am furious, happy, or homesick. They know that when Daddy say “that’s it,” they have to finish their food. Jeff and I made a conscious decision for the twins to see us read. We practice “no-talking time” where the four of us are just in one room – the kids in the cribs, Jeff on the couch reading his zombie book or his superhero comic book, and me on the floor trying to digest Hemingway.
3. Let Them Hold, Even “Eat”, A Book
There is no substitute to the pleasure of holding a book in your hands. No amount of technology can replace the comfort of having a hardbound book laying on my lap. We want our children to experience the same. The very first time we gave Nicholas a book, he immediately “ate” it. Antoinette did the same. But we showed them again and again that books are meant to be held and read – not to be eaten. Of course, it didn’t happen in the blink of an eye. It was a constant thing that we show to them even when we are in a restaurant and presented by waiters with menu books. Let your one year olds feel a book. Show to them how a book should be handled. They will learn in due time.
4. Devote 10 Minutes Each Day for Storytelling
I keep repeating this to myself every single day and I always tell other parents to do the same. If bedtime storytelling is convenient for you, go ahead and make it a habit. I like reading to the twins anytime of the day. Yesterday, I read “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” to them. The storytelling was done at the dining area. I was seated on one of the chair while the twins were standing beside their Dad’s potted plant. In the middle of the story, Nicholas started to walk away while Antoinette was still the wide-eyed girl who was trying to imitate the way I howled (in my attempt to sound like a wolf). One thing I learned when the mutants started walking is that reading to them is not a sedentary activity. If during the storytelling session they try to move around, let them. I recorded my sessions with them and most of these sessions are done in 10 minutes. Ten minutes a day is all it takes. It doesn’t really take much of your busy time devoted to work.
5. Go All Out
That is when you tap the inner actor/actress in you and improvise. When I said that your one year olds love to move around, I mean that they do move around. How to catch their attention? It all depends on how you read the story. In my case, I go all out. I make blankets part of the entire product. I experiment on my voice. I practice in the shower. I read the story before I read it to them so I am familiar with it. Our Antoinette does not like dead air. She knows when my attention is failing so I am always on my feet when I face them. Our kids are smarter than we thought so we should take extra preparation before we present ourselves to them. If we prep ourselves for work presentations, why can’t we do the same with our children? They deserve the best!
At one year old, it is best to read picture books to your kids. My current top three favorites are Good Night Moon (by Margaret Wise Brown), The Very Hungry Caterpillar (by Eric Carle), and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (by Bill Martin Jr.).
