Reading is an essential part of life. Unfortunately, many people do not have the time to enjoy it as much as others. Still, reading books benefits everyone, regardless of age, including babies.
Many parents think babies are too young to enjoy the rewards of reading, but that is not true. Reading can be just as enriching for babies as young children and adults. It is never too early to start reading to your child.
While your child might not understand the words yet or be able to discern the visuals, they still benefit from the process. They may not help in the same ways as older children or adults, but there are advantages.
Reading Is Bonding
Reading can be a bonding experience between you and your baby. It is easy to view reading as a solitary activity as an adult, but reading to your child makes the process more engaging.
Sharing a story before bed or as a unique one-on-one activity gives your child something to look forward to. Also, your voice is one of the most soothing sounds to your child, and reading grants them more time with it. Additionally, when you read to your child, you will often hold them, creating an intimate moment between parent and child, which can contribute to a healthy relationship.
Prepping Your Baby To Read on Their Own
Reading to your child can also prepare them for reading independently in the future. Your child may not understand all the words in "Goodnight, Moon" or other stories, but they can perceive other attributes, such as:
- Vocal inflections
- Rhythms
- Tones
The more you expose your child to reading and the spoken word, the more they begin to interpret. Research also suggests that parents who expose their children to reading better prepare them for reading alone.
The best thing is you do not have to read children's books. Because your baby cannot understand your words, all that matters is you read to them. If you prefer to read a news article or literary classic, go for it.
Reading Boosts Brain Power
You likely know that reading for self-improvement can improve brain power. Still, did you know that reading aloud to your child can also boost their brain power? Not only can reading to your newborn every night improve their vocabulary when they get older, but it can also lead to advanced math skills.
Additionally, children whose parents read to and spoke to them frequently through early development present with superior language skills. Several studies show that communicative relationships between children and parents can improve performance on standardized tests.
Reading Introduces Emotion
Reading is an education in verbal intonation and emotional expression. How you embody a character or read a sentence leads to interesting inflections. The vocal inflections can lead to emotional responses in you and your little one.
A child might not understand the emotional words, but they can interpret clues. The way you use your voice when reading a story is telling. From a young age, your baby can infer the meanings of tone and volume, meaning reading aloud is an excellent crash course about emotion.
Reading Gives Exposure to Visuals & Encourages a Response
In the early stage of childhood development, your child develops their eyesight. Your baby's eyes will begin focusing and recognizing shapes and patterns from zero to three months.
Reading various picture books with your newborn can expose them to visuals. Once your baby begins recognizing different patterns, you can encourage them to interact with the story and the characters on the page.
Reading is essential to healthy development, and starting is never too early. As with reading, it is never too early to start with nutrition. Wellements is dedicated to providing certified-organic supplements for healthy childhood development.