Reading books to your baby might sound like a waste of time, especially as it’s unlikely they’ll understand what you’re saying, but there are lots of good reasons why you should do exactly that.
You’ll be creating a good habit
If you take 10 minutes to sit your baby on your lap before bedtime and read them a story then it becomes part of their nightly routine. As they grow they can be involved in choosing the book and by the time they are walking you will have helped to nurture a love of books and you’ll find they try reading to themselves. Make reading something you do every day and the habit will stick.
Reading is brain food
Your babies brain grows and develops with every new experience they are offered and reading activates and exercises a certain part of the brain. Their visual cortex works as their eyes look at the shapes, colours and patterns on each page. There are soft books that offer young babies sensory experiences such as a fluffy hen or a crinkly page, all these subtle experiences are teaching them something new.
Tip: You don’t have to spend lots of money on books, go to your local library and borrow some. You’ll also be creating another fabulous habit for your child.
Reading provides special bonding time
For many parents who work outside of the house it hard be difficult to find the time to bond with their new addition. Often one parent is the sole caregiver which makes it harder for the other to get one-on-one time together, reading to your baby is a great way to achieve this. Even if your child is beyond the snuggling stage, spending 20 minutes reading provides you with uninterrupted time together.
Hint: Your baby won’t always sit perfectly still while you’re reading to them but try to persist because they are still listening and learning even if it doesn’t appear so.
Reading builds early literacy skills
Your child is never too young to be read aloud to, it fact studies show that the single greatest factor in a child’s ability to read is early experiences. Before your child can begin to read independently they must have phonemic awareness and a basic understanding of phonics; reading to your child is one of the main ways to help develop this. When you read with your child they start to learn that print is a representation of the words you say aloud.
You will make them better listeners
While it’s not such a big deal when they’re babies, having a toddler or small child who is a good listener is an incredible gift. The experience of being read to helps children develop good listening skills by keying them into the components of language. Through reading they learn to recognise the sound building blocks of language, learn new words to add to their vocabulary and as they grow they connect written words to their real world applications.
Tip: Encourage family members to read to your children, the gift of time is more precious than any present.
Remember that reading to your child is meant to be an enjoyable experience for all involved, so if you or your child is having a rough day, don’t push it.
In saying that, the earlier you start the habit the more likely your child will expect you to read aloud to them and it will be something they find comforting. The first day they independently get a book for the shelf and hand it to you to read to them will be a proud moment for you, trust me.