Maybe you dutifully go to the library and bring home chunky baby books with beautiful pictures-only to find your Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ is more interested in biting the books than reading them. Maybe you want to give up on trying to get your baby to sit still so you can read to her-she can't understand the stories yet anyway. However, a new study shows your efforts to read to even your very young baby are not in vain: Being read to as an infant is associated with better literacy later in Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵhood.
The New York Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ study followed nearly 250 mother-Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ pairs for up to four years. It found that babies who were read to at age 6 months had better vocabulary skills at age 4.
Toddlers who were read to at 24 months had further improved vocabulary skills, early reading skills, and other literacy skills at age 4.
"Reading to babies teaches them ways to communicate and helps them build listening, memory and vocabulary skills," explained Cindy Gellner, MD. Gellner is a pediatrician with Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ of Utah Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ. She is also the medical coordinator for the Reach Out and Read literacy program at Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ of Utah Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ's Westridge Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ Center in West Valley City.
"Young Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵren are like little intellectual sponges-they soak up all the information in their environment," Gellner said. She explained that "90 percent of brain development occurs during [the] first few years of life."
It's also important that young Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵren start to develop positive associations with reading and books. These initial associations can lead kids to love reading throughout Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵhood. Early on, your infant won't understand the stories you read, but looking at pictures and bonding with you builds positive feelings about books.
How Soon Should You Start Reading to Your Baby?
Gellner recommends reading to your Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ for at least 20 minutes each day. It's valuable to read to a Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ of any age, but especially to Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵren aged 6 months to 5 years.
"Make it part of the Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ's bedtime routine," Gellner suggests. "It helps them with their sleep behaviors by having a good bedtime ritual, and it's a great time for bonding with parents."
When reading, try to keep your Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ engaged by pointing out and naming parts of the pictures or by commenting on what's happening in the story. You should also try to choose age-appropriate books your Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ might be interested in. For infants, look for books with large, bright pictures or activities.