Reading with one's child, no matter how young he or she is, is a true example of quality time. It helps build a close parent/child relationship and stimulates the baby's emotional and intellectual growth in a variety of ways. When parents recognize these benefits of reading to infants, they should make a point of incorporating this activity into their baby's day.
Reading aloud to a baby as soon as he or she is born is a great ritual to incorporate into the child's routine. This important time spent in the close company of the parent serves as an ideal opportunity for bonding and intimacy to develop. The child has the full attention of mom or dad and will grow to look forward to snuggling up for a story every day.
Although at first, a baby will not have an understanding of what the words mean, the act of introducing these words can contribute a great deal to building a vocabulary. An awareness of the patterns of speech such as inflections, tone, and rhythm will also be picked up by the child as he or she listens. The more words they hear at this age, the easier it will be for them to learn to talk later on.
Fundamental language skills are not the only area stimulated by reading to young children, it has also been found to improve their critical and mathematical thinking abilities. In the long run it will ultimately encourage an earlier use of words and speaking. When the baby reaches the age where he or she can recognize pictures and sounds, this will increase their interest even more in reading.
Listening to a book being read is a good way for babies to begin to understand what emotions are as well, as there hear about the feelings story characters have relating to their experiences. This can effectively help materialize this abstract concept for young listeners. The visual aspects of a book such as letters, shapes, patterns, and colors, are also beneficial to the baby's sensory and cognitive development.
A regular nightly "storytime" can also help the child sleep better, and the parents too for that matter. The sound of the parent's voice will naturally relax the baby after a busy day full of activity, and in many cases the child will nod off before mom or dad even finishes the story.
Building a personal book collection for the child is important. Books should be suited to the baby's age, generally the younger the child, the more indestructible his or her books should be since babies are known to be tough on them. Many are made of durable vinyl or cloth for this purpose. Young children are most captivated by simple verses or single words, colorful illustrations, and in some, different textures.
As the child grows older, he or she will start to participate more actively in storytime and will begin to point out objects, imitating sounds, and responding with meaning to what is being read. All of this lays the foundation for the child to see books as something valuable and enjoy reading on his or her own.
Reading aloud to a baby as soon as he or she is born is a great ritual to incorporate into the child's routine. This important time spent in the close company of the parent serves as an ideal opportunity for bonding and intimacy to develop. The child has the full attention of mom or dad and will grow to look forward to snuggling up for a story every day.
Although at first, a baby will not have an understanding of what the words mean, the act of introducing these words can contribute a great deal to building a vocabulary. An awareness of the patterns of speech such as inflections, tone, and rhythm will also be picked up by the child as he or she listens. The more words they hear at this age, the easier it will be for them to learn to talk later on.
Fundamental language skills are not the only area stimulated by reading to young children, it has also been found to improve their critical and mathematical thinking abilities. In the long run it will ultimately encourage an earlier use of words and speaking. When the baby reaches the age where he or she can recognize pictures and sounds, this will increase their interest even more in reading.
Listening to a book being read is a good way for babies to begin to understand what emotions are as well, as there hear about the feelings story characters have relating to their experiences. This can effectively help materialize this abstract concept for young listeners. The visual aspects of a book such as letters, shapes, patterns, and colors, are also beneficial to the baby's sensory and cognitive development.
A regular nightly "storytime" can also help the child sleep better, and the parents too for that matter. The sound of the parent's voice will naturally relax the baby after a busy day full of activity, and in many cases the child will nod off before mom or dad even finishes the story.
Building a personal book collection for the child is important. Books should be suited to the baby's age, generally the younger the child, the more indestructible his or her books should be since babies are known to be tough on them. Many are made of durable vinyl or cloth for this purpose. Young children are most captivated by simple verses or single words, colorful illustrations, and in some, different textures.
As the child grows older, he or she will start to participate more actively in storytime and will begin to point out objects, imitating sounds, and responding with meaning to what is being read. All of this lays the foundation for the child to see books as something valuable and enjoy reading on his or her own.
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