Leading By Reading
Books, books, and more books! Many parents already spend plenty of time reading to their children, which is absolutely wonderful! However, despite the fact that it is no secret how important books are for children in terms of their development, the question is, when is the best time to start reading to your child? The research may surprise you.
You would think that before your child is 1 year, there really is not much he/she could benefit from listening to a book, but there is quite a lot of research to suggest otherwise. One incredible study from the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting suggests a baby can never be too young to benefit from books. In Dr. Giuliano’s (of the Cleveland Clinic) commentary on this research, he says that, “Once babies begin opening their eyes more and become more reactive to the world around them, they’re more than ready for books”. So, feel free to read to them whenever you can! Hey, why not even start while your Babba is still in your belly!
This same research found that shared-book reading in early infancy and toddlerhood predicted child vocabulary for up to four years later. Book-reading quality during early infancy, specifically, predicted early reading skills. Even better, they found that book-reading quantity AND quality during toddler years was strongly related to later literacy capabilities. This goes to say that it is important not only to read books with educational content to your baby, but it is perhaps even more important to read to them often.
Reading is not only helpful to expose your children to language, but it is also crucial for so many other aspects of life.
*Here are just a few of the potential benefits:
Learning about emotions
Learning about colors and textures
Learning about listening to someone who is speaking
Learning about problem solving and life lessons
Learning about perspective taking
The list goes on and on! Try to incorporate at least 2-3 books into your nightly routine with your Babba. Fit them in anywhere you can. Choose bright, colorful, diverse books, and ready to them as often as you can. Instill in them a love for reading and enjoy that incredibly special bonding time with your children.
Here are some children’s books we love!
