Play with them. Babies love books they can play with and there are lots of books with flaps, peepholes and unusual shapes to add extra interest.

Chew them! Books provide sensory stimulation for babies. Let them hold books, explore their shapes and sizes and throw them overboard when they’ve had enough. Although you may end up with soggy torn pages, remember flaps can be stuck back down and books dried!

Don’t force reading – if your child is fidgeting give up and try it again later.

Snuggle up and read together – this makes reading safe and intimate.

Read at bedtime – it’s a great way to relax children and gets reading into their daily routine early.

Share the same book over and over – babies enjoy the familiarity of the pictures and the story.

Take books everywhere so your baby gets used to them.

Point and show – this gets babies used to communicating with their hands.

Laugh and smile – be positive about books and storytelling and this will rub off on your children.

Most importantly…have fun! To become active readers children need to enjoy books. Hopefully their interest in books will start at a very young age – they will turn pages, point to the pictures, put them on their head or build houses! What’s crucial is that your baby learns that books are fun.