When our daughter was little, my husband used to sit with her in his arm, cradled and he’d read to her from whatever he was reading at the time. He read to her from Harry Potter, Harry Dresden and more. Sometimes he’d read to her from L.E. Modisett Jr., Shakespeare and once from Kay Hooper because it was handy. A lot of people were surprised that he was reading to her at such a young age; after all she was so young, how could she possibly understand what he was reading to her?
Your baby doesn’t have to understand to reap the benefits of being read to. Reading to your baby is a fantastic way to bond with them and it’s very soothing for them to hear your voice and it can actually stimulate their intellectual development.
You can read to them from your books or from theirs. If you read to them from picture books, be sure that they can see the pictures and that you move your finger around to indicate the various images, especially when you’re naming them and narrating the story.
During the first several months of their lives, babies are soaking up the wealth of knowledge and words around them. They will begin recognizing names and phrases long before they can say them themselves. When you’re reading to him or her, your voice will delight because of the rhythm changes you use during the act of storytelling.
As you go through your selection of books and reading materials, you may very well discover something that they love and cheer through. Don’t be afraid to read it to him or her over and over again. Babies adore repetition and repetition is part of how they learn.
So whether you are choosing picture books or your books or even just a magazine – read away to your little one – it’ll become something you both look forward to and it’s a treat you can share for years to come.
Do you read to your baby?
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