Why a child who cannot yet read "reads" in their own way

The narrow definition of reading, limited to the decoding of letters and the comprehension of a written text, does not at all do justice to the richness of the interactions that a toddler has with a book long before mastering this skill, which is generally acquired several years later, around the age of six.

Long before knowing how to read in the strict sense, a baby is already developing a form of early literacy, through their ability to handle a book, recognize its general structure, anticipate its content, or even associate sounds, words, or images with specific elements present on its pages.

This early literacy, although very different from formal reading, nevertheless constitutes an essential and legitimate step in the broader journey that will lead the child toward actual reading. It deserves to be recognized and valued for what it is, rather than being considered a simple game without educational value.

The felt book perfectly illustrates this form of reading adapted to a baby's age. Exploring a page, remembering its texture, anticipating the result of an action, or associating a word spoken by the parent with the observed element are all behaviors that foreshadow, on their own scale, the act of reading as it will develop later.

This broader recognition of what "reading" can mean for a baby also makes it possible to positively value every interaction, however modest, between the child and their book, rather than impatiently waiting for a formal reading skill that is still out of reach at this age.

Parents can also adopt the same vocabulary used for actual reading, by saying for example "you are reading your book" when a baby explores their felt book, a simple but symbolically strong way to validate this activity as a true form of reading, from the very first months.

It is this recognition of the richness and legitimacy of this early, sensory "reading" that allows us to perceive the felt book not as a mere preliminary step to "real" reading, but as a form of reading in its own right, perfectly suited to the toddler's age and abilities.