Book Facts
- Reading to your child is fundamentally important. Though a 1983 report from the Commission on Reading (a national group funded by the U.S. Department of Education) found that "the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children," only 39 percent of parents read daily to their infants and toddlers, according to a 1996 survey by the Commonwealth Fund. And 16 percent of parents don't read to their children at all, despite research that shows how important it is to expose children to stimulating language, pictures, and music from infancy.
- You should start reading aloud to your child when she's 6 months old. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading aloud daily to your child starting at 6 months -- when she'll really begin to enjoy looking at books with you. Newborns will enjoy a good book, too, so it certainly can't hurt to start sooner. Experts say that the more you speak directly to a child, the better it is for growth and development. No matter what a child's age, reading provides an opportunity for cuddling and socializing that both baby and caregiver can appreciate.
- It's important to read to children daily, at the same time each day. You should read to children every day, preferably at a regular time (or several regular times). Of course, that doesn't mean you should skip reading if you can't male your usual time -- in that case, it's just fine to read a book at another time instead.
- Listening to a book on tape will do as much for your child as being read to. Steer clear of books on tape with very young babies. Some experts suspect that infants filter out language coming from sources with which they feel no emotional connection. A book on tape, a radio, or a television program doesn't provide the interaction that makes reading a book meaningful at the earlier stages. Later some preschoolers will appreciate the tape, which helps them to "read" by themselves without having to have all their reading skills in place.
- For the first few months of a baby's life, it doesn't really matter what you read to him. Newborns can't understand what you're reading, so for the first few months, anything goes -- you can read children's books, a magazine, or the newspaper at this point, it's the fact that you're reading rather than what you read that's important. Keep in mind, though, that young babies will be especially fascinated by pictures with bright colors and sharp contrast, which you can often find in board and picture books. Your baby may also enjoy the singsong rhythm and rhyming words of nursery rhymes. They're easy to remember, so you can chant them during daily routines.
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