Newsletters

Healthy Child Spring/Summer 2005

Reading To Your Child: A Precious Gift

Dear Parents,

In the past nine years working as a pediatric nurse in ambulatory care, I have rarely seen a parent reading to his or her child while waiting for the doctor. A moment alone with a child is always a wonderful opportunity to read.

Research over decades continues to show that, “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” The newest advances in neuroscience show that reading aloud actually stimulates the growth of a baby'sbrain. That is why there is no such thing as starting too early to read to your child. Reading to tiny babies is a way of talking to them, which is not only good for brain development but also helps you to bond with your baby. Reading is a time to cuddle, look into your baby's eyes, smile, find the joy in turning each page, look at pictures and stimulate imagination and curiosity.

As your child grows, reading is a way of building vocabulary, discovering the joys of language,jokes and rhymes, finding meaning in pictures, and expanding experiences while learning about people, places and the world. As a child grows, reading aloud also helps with language, listening and writing skills, and most importantly, fosters a love of reading that will continue into adulthood. “Regardless of sex, race, nationality and socioeconomic background, students who read the most, achieve more in school and stay in school the longest.”

Reading to your child must be planned everyday. Read slowly so that your child can learn the words and allow him or her to turn the pages and point out favorite pictures. To encourage creativity, have your child make up stories to go along with the pictures.

Here are some tips for reading to your child:

• Find a cozy spot, with soft light and few distractions.
• Read with expression. Use your voice to make the story come alive.
• Preschoolers thrive on predictability. Reread favorite books again and again.
• Expose your child to a variety of reading materials. Include nonfiction books, wordless picture books, and magazines.
• If you and your child don't enjoy a book, there is no need to finish it. Set it aside and trysomething else.
• Feel free to adapt a story to suit your needs. Shorten or summarize long descriptive passages if your child starts to become unfocused.
• Allow time for your child to absorb the words and pictures and to ask questions.
• If your child has trouble sitting still to listen to a story, she may prefer to draw or play quietly nearby while you read to her.
• Take turns “reading” with your child. Long before she learns to read print, your child can tell you a story based on the pictures she sees.
• Make regular visits to the public library so your child can pick out books herself. Take advantage of all the reading programs that are offered.

Remember that reading to your child is a precious gift that can begin as soon as your baby is born.Reading is the key to an enriched, meaningful and ultimately powerful life. Reading expands themind and eliminates boundaries. Take every opportunity to nurture your child in this way and enjoy every moment of it!

The following are references for this article:
Totline Magazine, Nov/Dec 1998
Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five by Penelope Leach 1997
www.publishers.org/school/factsheet.cfm and www/trelease-on-reading.com

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