It may seem silly for you to begin reading to your child as soon as she is born, but it is actually very important for her brain growth and development. Research shows that children who are read to as newborns have a larger vocabulary and more advanced mathematical skills, as well as better language skills, when compared to other kids their age who did not get the same reading time at a young age.
Other benefits to reading every day with your child – no matter what age – promotes more maternal-child bonding; it introduces them to emotion and helps provide you with an avenue to aid them to better understand and name feelings. Reading aloud also helps your child with speech development as she is taking in all kinds of information and beginning to learn about speech patterns.
As your child grows, the books you choose to share will change – perhaps from simple board books with lots of pictures to books that introduce rhyming in order to practice patterns, improve memory skills and increase phonological awareness and phonetic ability.
The bottom line is that reading EVERY day to your child is an activity that provides many ongoing and lasting benefits for you both, and can’t be replaced. Plus, it’s fun and fosters a lifelong love of reading.
Below are links to suggestions of age-appropriate books that you will enjoy reading with your child: