Jacob is only 6 months old , but he is already well on his way to becoming a reader .
Why Read to My Baby ? You may wonder about the benefits of reading to your baby . An infant won ’ t understand everything you ’ re doing or why . But you wouldn ’ t wait until your child could understand what you were saying before you started speaking to him or her , right ? Nor would you bypass lullabies until your baby could carry a tune or wait until he or she could shake a rattle before you offered any toys . Reading aloud to your baby is a wonderful shared activity you can continue for years to come — and it ’ s an important form of stimulation .
Reading aloud :
• Teaches a baby about communication
• Introduces concepts such as numbers , letters , colors , and shapes in a fun way
• Builds listening , memory , and vocabulary skills
• Gives babies information about the world around them Believe it or not , by the time babies reach their first birthday they will have learned all the sounds needed to speak their native language . The more stories you read aloud , the more words your child will be exposed to and the better he or she will be able to talk . Hearing words helps to build a rich network of words in a baby ’ s brain . Kids whose parents frequently talk / read to them know more words by age 2 than children who have not been read to . And kids who are read to during their early years are more likely to learn to read at the right time . When you read , your child hears you using many different emotions and expressive sounds , which fosters social and emotional development . Reading also invites your baby to look , point , touch , and answer questions — all of which promote social development and thinking skills . And your baby improves language skills by imitating sounds , recognizing pictures , and learning words .
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