In today's wild world, where screens and digital distractions are everywhere, fostering a love for reading in children has become more important than ever. Literacy development during early childhood sets the foundation for lifelong learning, and as grandparents, we are part of the integral family members who play a crucial role in this journey. By engaging in interactive reading with our grandchildren from birth, we contribute to their literacy skills and strengthen the bonds we share with them. Let's explore how grandparents can effectively use interactive reading techniques to promote literacy and create cherished memories.

The first year of a baby's life is filled with extraordinary growth and development. Introducing books during this time lays the foundation for a lifetime of learning. A baby's first library is not just about reading; it's about S.P.A.R.K.-ing curiosity, encouraging sensory exploration, and creating cherished moments between parents and their little ones. In this guide, we'll explore milestones for 6 to 12-month-olds and recommend books and strategies to make reading an enjoyable experience.

What? Read the old "stuff" to our grandkids? Are you crazy?

The other day, I innocently suggested that we read the classics to our grandkids and got some shocked looks and numerous pushbacks as if I said all grandparents have 3 heads. The theme of the concern was that we are in an age bursting with digital entertainment and the concern that the "classics" couldn't keep the engagement and interest of our young readers.

Let me give you an alternative perspective.

What's your IQ? Don't you know?

If you were a kid in the early 1970s, you may have been given the "Intelligence Quotient" (IQ) test, which was heralded as the definitive indicator of potential and determined whether you were destined to be a rocket scientist, a corporate mogul, or sweeping the floors at NASA.

I was one of the cusp kids who took the IQ test, and the results were shared with us.

But by the 1990s, something fascinating happened: Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, entered the conversation.