My First 1000 Words books are a good stepping stone in teaching toddlers the words used to identify everyday objects. My daughter received a copy on her 1st birthday and immediately took to the book. She enjoyed pointing at the colorful objects on the page and asking questions - usually a simple What's this?
I found that showing her the actual object to compare against the picture and explaining its use made it easier for her to commit it into memory. Soon she was able to identify most of the commonly used household objects. I was extremely pleased that her first set of words included practical ones that deviated from the persistent "Barney" and "Pooh Bear" mantra. My daughter has just turned 2, but can already speak short, complete sentences that clearly explain what she wants.
The First 1000 Words books are quite common and can be found in almost any bookstore. As there are numerous variations to this book, I recommend reviewing it for the following before you actually buy a copy:
(1) Ensure that the pictures are large and colorful, and that there are just enough words/pictures in every page. With the success of her first copy, I bought another book featuring other words/pictues, but found that too small pictures crammed into a single page confuses and bores my baby.
(2) Get a copy that already includes pages on shapes, colors, and numbers so your baby can learn these basic concepts as well.
(3) As much as possible, choose a book featuring pictures of items that can be found in your house or neighborhood. A book featuring seasons such as fall and winter, for example, would be harder to grasp by a child living in the Philippines.
(4) Baby girls may enjoy Disney's Princess Word Book, which showcases everyday objects used by (what else?) the beloved Disney princesses! My toddler was fascinated at the idea that Princess Aurora also goes to the bathroom and brushes her teeth. ;)
(5) Check the content of the book. My baby actually has a magnetic letter board that says "X" is for "Xmas". Granted, this particular error wasn't printed on a book, but you can never be too careful!
[...] (6) Teach them regularly. When my daughter turned 1, I started teaching her ABCs, numbers, colors, shapes, and animals through Brainy Baby books. Flash cards were also a big help. It’s best to use simple flash cards, I got ones with the letter in front and sample word and picture at the back. I found that cards with too much information on one side – especially those featuring popular characters such as Mickey Mouse or Barney – were too distracting. This was also about the time we started her on the First 1000 words book. [...]
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