Even though your baby can’t grasp a book or sound out the letters of the alphabet, it’s not too soon to introduce your little one to the magic of books.
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“Reading to babies and young children is so important,” says pediatrician Sarah Klein, MD. “It provides the building blocks for language. And it gives them the tools for forming lifelong social and emotional skills.”
Worried that reading is one more thing you have to squeeze into your bleary-eyed day as a parent? Take heart. Getting into the reading habit doesn’t have to be time consuming or complicated, Dr. Klein says. And adding books to your routine has a host of benefits for you and your baby.
Reading is a skill that will serve your children well in school and in life. But hearing books read aloud has benefits long before they show up for their first day of kindergarten. Those benefits include:
When should you start reading to your baby? According to Dr. Klein, it’s never too early, and it’s never too late. She adds that while sooner is usually better, young children can still benefit from being read to at any age.
Dr. Klein shares some tips to make reading fun and effective.
Read to your kiddo for at least a few minutes each day. “Try to get in as much reading as you can,” Dr. Klein says, whether it’s one longer bedtime book session or shorter reading breaks throughout the day.
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“Babies might only be interested for a few minutes. As they get older, their attention span can start to handle longer stories.”
Your tot wants to turn back to look at the first page again and again? Just roll with it. Let your little one point out the pictures they like on the page or talk about what you see, even if it means you won’t get around to finishing the story. Once your child is old enough, let them choose the books you read.
Once your baby starts crawling and toddling, it can be challenging to get them to sit still. But even if they’re scooting around the room, your child will still benefit from hearing you read aloud.
“Don’t get frustrated if your baby isn’t sitting quietly in your lap for storytime,” Dr. Klein says. “Reading doesn’t have to be this perfect quiet moment where everyone is paying attention.”
“Babies need to explore their environment,” Dr. Klein says. Let them discover books on their terms — even if that means they’re holding it upside-down or drooling all over it.
Babies do well with chunky board books they can hold (and, yes, chew). They like bright colors and big pictures. As they get older, introduce books with more words to help their language development, Dr. Klein says.
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You’re not locked into reading the words on the page. Engage with your little listener by pointing out pictures, asking questions or speculating why those dogs are wearing hats and driving cars.
Kids love to read the same books over and over (and over). That might drive you bananas, but the repetition helps kids learn, says Dr. Klein. So go ahead and read about that hungry caterpillar for the millionth time this week.
To break up the monotony, try to strike a deal: At bedtime, you’ll read one book your kiddo chooses and a new one that you pick.
“School-age kids still benefit from reading with their parents, especially as they’re trying to learn to read on their own,” Dr. Klein says. “Try reading back and forth, taking turns reading out loud to each other.”
Before you know it, your babies will be big kids who can read to themselves — and you might even miss that caterpillar and his endless appetite.
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Getty Images/ Jose Luis Pelaez Inc
There's nothing better than picking up a classic children's book and sharing it with your baby. From The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Llama Llama Red Pajama, stories can create special moments for parents and infants. But did you know reading aloud can also help with language development, emotional learning, school success, and more? Here are nine reasons you should read to your baby early and often.
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Reading Promotes Bonding and Fosters Emotional Connections
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Reading aloud can strengthen the emotional bonds between babies and parents. "Reading a book to your newborn is a one-on-one activity that you can really turn into a special time with your baby," says Mary Ann Abrams, M.D., with Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "It exposes the baby to the sound of your voice, which is soothing for [them]."
In fact, a recent study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found book reading had positive effects on preterm infants in the NICU and their parents, who were better able to "cope with a difficult experience, reinstating their role as primary caregiver."
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Reading Boosts Brain Power
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Research shows children who were read to as newborns have a larger vocabulary and more advanced mathematical skills than other kids their age. For example, take a 2019 study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. It found that when caregivers read one picture book daily to their infants, they're exposed to around 78,000 words each year. In the five years before kindergarten starts, researchers estimate that "children from literacy-rich homes hear a cumulative 1.4 million more words during storybook reading than children who are never read to."
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Reading Improves Language Skills
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There's a direct link between how many words a baby hears each day and their language skills. An Association for Psychological Science study found "infants who hear more talk have more opportunities to interpret language, and to exercise skills such as segmenting speech and accessing lexical representations that are vital to word learning."
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Reading Introduces Emotion
Babies are exposed to feelings through the different sounds used when reading, whether you're performing a voice for a specific character or describing what's going on. "You simply can't hear that type of emotion in music or through watching TV," says Dr. Abrams. "The spoken word conveys the idea that words have meaning and certain sounds mean certain things."
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Books Expose Babies to Visuals
Stephanie Rausser
From 0 to 3 months, children start focusing their eyes on simple patterns on the pages. Reading picture books presents newborns with a variety of shapes, letters, and colors they will begin to recognize as the months go on.
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Reading Can Actually Elicit a Response
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After reading to a baby for a while, parents may notice their little one responding to the rhythmic movement of their voice with their arms and legs. "Being read to helps children see and hear what is around them, and respond in kind," says Kenneth Wible, M.D., of Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri.
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It Prepares Kids to Read on Their Own
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Babies might not understand what you're saying, but they can still pick up the rhythm, tones, and inflections of your voice, says Dr. Wible. Research shows the more words a baby is exposed to, the better prepared they are to eventually start reading on their own.
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Books Show Children Reading Is Fun
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When reading is part of your regular family routine, children will learn that it's something to be enjoyed—not a chore that needs to be completed for class. That attitude will foster a love of reading that will take them through school and into adulthood.
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Parents Can Read Whatever They Want
National Grandparents Day is September 12 this year.
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Bored with children's books? Don't worry! Since newborns can't understand words yet, parents get to choose whatever they want to read. Pick a newspaper article, a romance novel, or even a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—it's all fair game.
Parents can also try different types of books to see what their baby responds to, from picture books to ones with interactive flaps or those with touch and feel features. The Cleveland Clinic recommends chunky board books babies can hold, as well as books with bright colors and big pictures.
Ultimately though, it doesn't really matter what you're reading at the earliest stages, as long as you're doing it.
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