If there’s one universal thing, (outside of love and good health), that every parent hopes for in the early years, it’s that they do well in school and not struggle with learning. That said, basic learning skills and sensory development begin much earlier than preschool attendance.
They may not understand the story line yet, but reading aloud to your baby stimulates their developing senses. It creates and sharpens listening and memory skills. Reading to your child develops tools they’ll need for everyday social interactions.
When you read to your child using expressive voice inflection and emotional pitch to match the story line, they learn how the world works, how others feel in a given situation. You are teaching empathy when you read to your child with feeling. They will periodically look at you, show facial expression as you read, they are developing all their senses during this time.
Children are learning at an incredible pace these first few years. They learn balance and control over their own body. They learn at least an entire language. In multilingual homes they’ll learn two languages as early as they are learning to form words. It’s up to us as parents how well they understand and how wide their vocabulary will be. To quote pediatrician Sarah Klein, MD; “Reading to babies and young children is so important. It provides the building blocks for language. It gives them the tools for forming lifelong social and emotional skills.“
Reading is fundamental to all other learning. A 2019 research study shows that consistently reading, “improves brain connectivity. It increases vocabulary and comprehension. It empowers you to empathize with other people.”
Reading to your baby, promotes literacy and language development. Your child become familiar with the value of books. It will help your child be accustomed to listening and focusing before they reach school age. Having an awareness of the art of reading, stimulates language development, cognitive and critical thinking skills. If you are already consistently reading to your child, (Bravo! BTW), then you know they will ask you to read the same book over and over again. This may become tiresome to you, but for your child, it is building the skill of memory, it is developing sharper connections within his or her brain. Recently, I nannied for a child from seven months to two years old. One of the first words she learned was “again,” which she said more often than not, as we would finish a fun board story book! When I am with a child, books are as interracial to daily play as are their toys. The behavior of the animals and children in these books will go a long way toward teaching your child positive behaviors, with their peers as they enter an environment with other children. When you purchase books for your child, keep them fun and positive… and don’t shy away from choosing books that reinforce the moral structure you want for your child.
If you build within your child a ‘lifelong love of reading,’ your child’s world will consistently be open to new and interesting concepts, ideas, emotions and challenges – with the turn of each page – throughout their life. To consistently learn, is to consistently open new doors to opportunity.