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It’s true that your newborn can’t recognize the alphabet & letters and even can’t hold books but it’s never too early to introduce them to the world of books. Reading to your baby is important for language development as well as social and emotional skills development.
A study in 2019 found that babies who read every day are exposed to around 78000 words each year. It means if we start from newborn then till your baby will be of 5 years, he or she will be exposed to about 1.4 million words during Storytime. And this exposure will directly impact their language skills in the future and it will be one of the easiest ways for mothers and fathers to set their kids to succeed in academics.
In this article, you will know why reading is important and how to get started.
Why Reading to Your Baby Is Important?
Reading a book has lots of impacts on a baby’s development. It will not only help your baby getting familiar with different words and sounds but also you are gifting your baby love for books and passion for reading. And reading a book stimulates baby’s imagination power and they also learn about the world around them.
Reading a book not only helps babies learning the native language and developing their speech with lots of words they hear but it also creates an emotional connection with the person who is reading to them.
Your baby is too small to talk with you but that doesn’t mean they are not learning. In fact, from birth, babies start their journey of learning to speak.
In the first year of life, babies’ brains grow more than at any other stage of their life. So when you read in front of your baby, your baby is learning the sound of language, meaning related to the words, and your wonderful social element of communication.
As we all know, routines are important, and establishing the value and habit of reading from the first year of life is one of the best gifts a parent can give their child up for success not just in school and colleges but also in social and mental health.
Not about reading to your baby, if your baby will hear fewer words may develop their speech and language skills at a slower pace.
Poor literacy skills in childhood are directly related to behavioral problems.
One research shows that kids who read and talk know more words by the age of 2 than their peers who don’t have the same habit. Their learning power is also faster than kids who don’t have reading habits.
Benefits of Reading to Babies
Your baby is not understanding everything you are saying but their brain benefits from reading in a number of ways. Here are some benefits:
- Kids learn information about the world around them
- They learn the importance of communication
- There are building their listening, memory, and vocabulary skills
- They are learning things like numbers, letters, colors, and shapes.
When to Start Reading to Your Baby
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages reading to your babies as soon as they are born so that they can recognize and learn your voice.
New-borns are not understanding what their parent is reading but they can recognize the style, tones, and rhythms. And your voice is soothing for them.
So we suggest you plan to read into your schedule as soon as you can do it. But if you have not started reading from birth, you don’t need to worry, it is never too late to start reading to your baby.
To get the most benefit, You must try to read aloud to your kids daily to start the habit of reading. Oral language is a major milestone and maximum vocabulary happens from birth till the age of 3 years.
Reading aloud is a solid foundation of literacy as in the first year of your child, it builds their vocabulary, their knowledge about words, the sound of the word, and the pattern and shape of words.
If you are blessed with multiple children, reading is a great habit to involve everyone at the same time. If your one kid is young, let him/her choose which books or topics to read. Reading together will also help them to cuddle together and bond with the new baby.
How Often to Read to Your Baby
You are a parent of a newborn, you have no time to plan reading as you are feeding your baby around the clock and sleep-deprived. But Reading is an opportunity for you to sit down with your baby and cuddle with your baby. It is a chance to rest and relax so you don’t need to add one more thing to your to-do list.
5-10 mins are fine as long as your baby is interested.
Reading aloud is just like depositing money into the word bank of your child. The earlier you start, the more you deposit. And when your kid will enter to school, your kid will be richer.
Building a habit of reading is important so set aside time each day like after bath, bedtime, or another clam time to read.
Reading Tips
- You can find some general tips that will help you to make most of your reading time.
- While you are reading, just cuddle with your baby. It helps them feel safe and connected with you.
- Try to use expressive voice when required or use different voices for different characters.
- Make comments about texts or images and point out things to your baby.
- Set up a special reading spot.
- No TV or use of the mobile phone during reading time.
- Try to identify which books are your baby’s favorite books. And then read them again and again.
- Try to let your baby touch and feel the book. Also, give them to hold and turn the pages as they get older.
A Word From Dr dad
Reading must be a relaxing and enjoyable time for both, parent and kid. So always try both to pick a book and also establish a regular reading area in your home.
As your baby will grow, his interest in reading will grow and maybe your baby can bring books to you to read. So Cherish these quiet moments with your baby.
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