Why You Should Read to Your Baby

Author: Jennifer Anne Paige

Reading to an infant as young as 1 month old has many benefits that you should know of. Think about this. Even though the baby cannot fully understand what you're saying or doing, that wouldn't stop you from talking to him. Same thing goes when you would sing a lullaby to your baby even though he cannot follow a tune yet. So why wait until your baby can read until you read a book to him?

Reading a storybook aloud to your baby is a good stimulating activity that will encourage the child to interact. Aside from this, you can both share one bonding activity even through his growing years. Reading aloud helps the baby to learn how to communicate, develop listening abilities, vocabulary and memory. It also gives them an idea of what a story is and introduces them to letters, numbers, shapes and colors.

Use books with colorful pictures of people, animals, shapes and patterns. These things are eye catching for babies as young as 1-3 months old. Nursery rhymes stimulate their interest as well. When they grow from 4 to 6 months, they will start to be more attracted to books. Choose books with hard covers because they will also start to hold it, chew on it and throw it away. Rhyming and recurring words are also recommended for reading to babies.

Did you know that as soon as your baby is a year old, the sounds used for speaking his language is already in his mind? The more you read to him, the more it will increase his vocabulary skills, thus improving his ability to speak. Your baby's brain, since they can't read yet, relies on spoken words or words that they hear frequently. Talking or reading to them will help their brain create a vast system of words. When they reach the age of two, they will understand more words and possibly learn how to read at the appropriate time compared to other kids whose parents did not read to them.

When you read to your baby, make use of different sounds and intonations to express emotion. This in a way helps develop the child socially and emotionally. Reading picture and storybooks build up on their thinking and social abilities through looking, pointing, touching and answering questions. Kids love to imitate, so when they hear a sound, they start imitating it and associate it with the picture or an object. Eventually, these sounds will transform into words when they learn how to speak.

Aside from colorful books, the sound of your voice and the feeling of closeness make this activity very significant to your baby, as it combines all three things that your child likes. At this early stage, you will be able to impart the importance of knowing how to read and that reading books are fun.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/babies-articles/why-you-should-read-to-your-baby-4336727.html

About the Author

Jennifer Anne Paige is an enthusiast blogger and also a mother of 2 little girls. She is a retired beauty therapist and spends her time painting, writing and traveling. She also runs a skin care blog where she talks about skin whitening options. She recently published a must-read article on homemade skin whitening treatments. Visit her website now.