When should I start reading to my baby?
INFANT
It's never too early to start reading to your baby. In fact, you can begin reading to them even before they are born, as they can hear your voice in the womb. Reading aloud to your baby from birth promotes bonding, stimulates their senses, and exposes them to the sounds and rhythms of language.
Reading to your newborn and throughout their infancy helps to:
Develop listening skills: Babies learn to focus on the sound of your voice and the rhythm of language, which helps build their listening and attention skills.
Enhance language development: Reading aloud exposes your baby to a rich vocabulary, various sentence structures, and language patterns, which helps lay the foundation for future language development.
Create a bond: Reading together fosters a strong emotional connection between you and your baby, as they associate reading with comfort, warmth, and closeness.
Encourage a love for books and reading: Establishing a reading routine early in life helps cultivate a love for books and reading that can last a lifetime.
Stimulate cognitive development: Reading to your baby helps stimulate their imagination, creativity, and critical thinking skills as they grow.
When selecting books to read to your baby, choose age-appropriate books with colorful illustrations, simple text, and high contrast images. Board books or soft cloth books are ideal for young babies, as they can withstand rough handling and are easy to grasp. As your baby grows, you can gradually introduce books with more complex stories and illustrations.
Remember to make reading an enjoyable and engaging experience by using different voices, facial expressions, and involving your baby in the process. This can include pointing to pictures, asking questions, or encouraging them to touch and feel the pages as they become more interactive.
Incorporating reading into your daily routine, such as during bedtime or naptime, can help establish a positive association with books and reading for your baby, setting the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.