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Find Out About The Benefits Of Reading To Infants And Introducing Books At An Early Age

By Karina Frost


One of the best ways a parent can spend time with their child is to read to them. Babies love the sound of their parents' voices and the closeness associated with sharing a book together. Besides this there are also other benefits of reading to infants, it stimulates their ability to learn and understand the world around them in numerous ways.

Shortly after birth, parents can begin reading to their new son or daughter. Simply hearing the familiar sound of the parent's voice and snuggling in their arms brings a sense of comfort and security to the baby, which helps create closeness and intimacy between the two.

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.

Besides the obvious connection to developing language skills, reading books to babies has also been found to stimulate their early mathematical and critical thinking abilities. It also helps the child learn to speak at an earlier age, babies who are less exposed to words, are often late talkers. As children gain an understanding of what they hear, they will start to respond in turn by showing enthusiasm.

Children also develop a concept of what emotion is when they listen to a story being read. There is no better way to convey feelings than through the descriptive nature of the written word, and hearing tales of characters experiencing various emotions helps children conceptualize these abstract ideas. The visuals such as colors, patterns, shapes, and letters presented also play an important role in the baby's sensory 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.

Books selected for an infant need to be suitable for the child's age. The best picks are those which are more or less indestructible, made of materials such as cloth or vinyl or board books, since babies can be tough on them. They should feature simple verses, perhaps rhymes, familiar objects, bright colors, and even different tactile textures for the baby to touch.

Parents will notice that eventually, the child will start to participate more during storytime, as he or she becomes increasingly aware of the world around. Older babies will imitate sounds, identify objects, and respond to what he or she hears. These early literary experiences set the stage for the child's future love of books and independent reading habits.




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