Books for babies! PI Kids & Foxbox!
We are so excited to share our latest partnership with PI Kids! For Giving Tuesday 2021, PI Kids donated over 700 books to Foxbox! We are so thrilled and honored to partner with PI Kids to bring more books to babies, and families, experiencing long hospital stays. They are “committed to crafting engaging, educational, and entertaining books for young readers to encourage a lifelong love of story time. As one of the leading licensed international children's publishers in the world, [they] continue to create the highest quality of products for children, and are dedicated to bringing excellence to children’s publishing.”
We love books at Foxbox! In fact, they’re one of the most versatile items we donate. Books can offer a world of support for infants as well as their family members. Reading out loud offers moments of connection between babies and their people (whether that’s a parent, caregiver, sibling, nurse, or provider) as well as opportunities to set routine throughout the day. Some families prefer to read before bath and bed while other families use reading to help distinguish nighttime from day. However books are used during a baby’s long hospital stay, they make a huge impact! When picking out books for our babies we consider everything from sensory to language to motor development.
Infants learn best from books that…
Are simple with clear language and bold images
High contrast images and patterns or black & white illustrations
Baby faces! Seeing babies making different faces and expressing emotions teaches important social and emotional skills.
Large simple pictures of familiar objects. Seeing and hearing about familiar objects helps to build that brain architecture and learn even basic skills such as pattern recognition and vocabulary.
Rhyming text. Rhyming text is important for building vocabulary and teaching components of speech such as articulation, voice pitch, and volume. Not to mention it builds important brain skills such as working memory and sequencing. For added benefit add some fingerplays to rhyming books, such as The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
Offer sensory engagement. Touch & feel books build those sensory skills and brain connections. These books can also offer emotional regulation skills. Sensory supports literally help the brain calm down and wire those neurons so it is easier for babies to self-soothe.
A huge thank you to our friends John, Bella, & all of the wonderful folks at Fresh Consulting (Portland)! Not only have they given Foxbox a place to call home, they so kindly help set up this amazing photoshoot.
Go check them out on Instagram at @freshportland!
