What Types of Books Should Every Child Read Before Age 6?

Every child under age 6 should read at least six types of books: story books for kids, picture books for kids, phonics books for kids, activity books for kids, coloring books for kids, and early learning books. Together these types of books help develop language skills, stimulate creativity, aid concentration and ready children for school. These early years of life are the time when reading for 15-20 minutes daily can develop a lifelong love of learning.

Why Reading Before Age 6 Matters So Much?

The first six years of a child's life are the most important years for brain growth. A child's brain develops at a pace that is greater than at any other time in life. Reading books every day helps children:

•Rapidly acquire new vocabulary

• Understand feelings and emotions

•Develop concentration and attention skills

• Get ready for school

• Develop imagination and creativity

Research indicates that children who are read to on a regular basis before the age of 6 perform better in school later in life. They also become more confident learners and have improved communication skills.

The good news? No fancy tools or costly classes required. The right books are all you need.

1. Story Books for Kids

Early childhood reading is all about story books. A quality story book for children takes a child to a new world, a world of talking animals, brave little heroes, magical forests and funny adventures.

Story books enable children to learn about how life works. They discover lessons of friendship, kindness, sharing and problem solving, through the characters in the story.

What to Look for in Story Books for Kids?

•Simple language and short sentences

• Characters that are relatable (children, animals, toys)

•Clear beginning, middle and end

• Positive messages and values

• Colourful and interesting illustrations

Best Age Range: 2-6 years

Children love very short stories with repetition at age 2–3. At age of 4-6, they can follow longer stories with more detail. There are also story books with Indian characters and settings, such as those from Lil Legends, that children in India can relate to, making reading more personal and relevant.

2. Picture Books for Kids

A picture book for kids is a book in which pictures are the main story. The illustrations are large, colorful and detailed. Picture books are a hit with even the youngest children, who are drawn to colors and faces.

Not all picture books are about entertainment. They are effective learning tools. A child is learning vocabulary in the most natural way when he sees a picture and hears his parent say what the picture shows.

How Picture Books Help Young Children?

• Vocabulary development: words are introduced to children when they see and hear them in groups

•Enhance visual recognition: children learn to recognise objects, animals and feelings.

• Start a discussion: parents and children can discuss what they see.

•Help emotional learning: facial expressions in pictures, empathy is taught

Best Age Range: 0-5 years

High contrast black and white picture books are beneficial for babies. Introduce picture books that increase in color, detail and complexity as children get older.

3. Phonics Books for Kids

The first step in learning to read is learning sounds. Children learn about the relationship between letters and sounds in their phonics books. This is known as the "alphabetic principle" and it is the basis of reading.

Children are taught to recognise letter sounds through fun rhymes, repetition and simple words in phonics books. For instance, a phonics book could be all about the "s" sound and have sun, sand, silly, and snake on every page.

Why are phonics books so important before 6?

• They are preparing children for formal reading in school.

• They develop "decoding" skills – the ability to sound out new words

• They make reading less scary and more fun

• They improve spelling later in life

Ideal Age: 3-6 years

Phonics learning typically begins at around 3-4 years of age when children begin to recognise that letters correspond to sounds. Most children are able to combine sounds and read simple words by the age of 5-6.

4. Activity Books for Kids

Not every learning is done in the classroom by sitting quietly and reading! Kids activity books have simple activities and fun — mazes, dot to dot drawings, matching games, puzzles and tracing exercises.

Activity books are ideal for children who learn through activities. They develop fine motor skills (small hand movements required for writing), hand-eye coordination and logical thinking.

Types of Activities in Early Learning Activity Books

• Tracing letters and numbers — writing readiness

• Matching games — teaches categorization and logic

• Games — enhances problem-solving and concentration

• Find and circle — develops ability to observe carefully

• Connect the dots — develops number sequencing

Suggested Age Range: 2-6 years

For toddlers begin with very simple activities (scribbling, matching large shapes). By 5-6 years be able to move to more detailed tasks such as tracing letters and simple mazes.

Activity books are particularly suited to being used in conjunction with story books — children read a story and then do an activity based on it. This is how Lil Legends has been able to get their learning to stick so long.

5. Coloring Books for Kids

Kids coloring books are frequently overlooked as learning instruments. They actually have a tremendous impact on early development. Children are not only having fun, they are developing essential skills when they colour.

Benefits of Coloring Books for Young Children

• Fine motor development: Crayon holding and coloring in lines builds the small muscles that are necessary for writing.

• Color recognition: Children learn to recognize colors and how to use them

• Focus and patience: Colouring pages help with concentration and patience.

• Self-expression: Children make their own choice of colours, increasing their confidence in self-expression.

• Stress relief: Coloring is relaxing and therapeutic even for young children.

Best Age Range: 1.5-6 years

Very young children (18 months – 3 years) have free scribbling coloring books with large, simple outlines. For older children (4-6 years), they can work with more detailed pictures that have smaller pieces.

Latest Blog: What Should an Ideal Activity Book Include for Preschoolers?

6. Early Learning Books

Early learning books are created to instruct certain basic concepts – numbers, alphabets, shapes, colors, opposites, seasons and more. These books are organized and conceptually driven, as opposed to story books or picture books.

Consider early learning books as your child's first textbook — but in a fun, colorful and engaging way.

What Early Learning Books Teach?

• Alphabet books — letter recognition and sounds

• Number books — counting, quantity, and basic math concepts

• Shape books — geometry awareness from a young age

• Color books — color names and sorting

• Concept books — big/small, fast/slow, day/night, wet/dry

Best Age Range: 1-6 years

Early learning books can begin at 12 months, with simple books on colours and shapes. By the age of 5-6, children can begin to use early learning books that are more structured, allowing them to learn early patterns of addition or phonics.

A combination of story books, picture books, phonics books, activity books, coloring books and early learning books are great for every child under the age of 6. They all have a different function in the development of a child. Story books develop imagination and language. Vocabulary is developed through picture books. Children are ready to read as they are introduced to phonics books. Activity and coloring books are used to build fine motor skills and concentration. Early learning books develop number, alphabet, shape and concept skills.

The secret is diversity and uniformity. Children are given a solid, happy foundation for learning through daily reading, as they read a variety of books. Such book genres are brought together by brands like Lil Legends, which are culturally relevant, colorful, and geared towards young Indian children.

Begin early, read frequently and have fun. This is the easiest way to create a confident, curious, lifelong reader.