21st Dec 2009
Reading To Your Child The Best Head Start on Education
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You’ve planned for your baby and read all the books. You went to the baby warehouse and bought every baby gadget, dozens of developmental toys and a hand-crafted maple crib and changing table that cost more than your first car. You’ve already applied to the most coveted pre-school and have weighed the benefits of private school vs. public. There have been long, heated debates with your father-in-law over what kind of mutual fund will reap the highest return for her college fund. The kid hasn’t even arrived yet and already you are thinking about her education.
The best way to get a head start on your child’s education is by reading to her – and you can start the day she’s born. Studies show that child who are read to as infants have higher IQs, earlier language acquisition, better vocabularies, and overall better test scores. Getting in the habit of reading to your child is fun, and easy.
Reading to Your Newborn
Reading to a newborn is pretty easy. After all, they can’t exactly climb down off your lap if they don’t like the story. And, you can read just about anything to them – the back of the cereal box, the financial page of the New York Times, the recipe for chicken enchiladas you’re making for dinner tonight.
When you read aloud, the cadence and tone of your voice is different than regular speech. Your infant will pick up on that tone and become used to the rhythm and sound. While holding your baby on your lap and reading aloud, you are engaging with her in a very specific way that you want her to become accustomed to.
Reading to an Older Baby
Once your baby is a few months old, you can introduce picture books. Rhyming books are great with their sing-song rhythms and bright pictures. Once baby is old enough to start trying to grab the book out of your hands, you might distract her with a teething toy or something else to hold onto while you read.
Read to your baby the same time every day, to start making it a routine. I read to my babies right before their naps and at bedtime, right after baths. By the time they were toddlers they were accustomed to the routine and reading was a nice transition from play time to sleep time.
Books to chew on
Promote familiarity with books. You want your baby to start thinking of books as his friends – something to help ease his boredom while you’re at the mall or doctor’s office. Once he’s old enough to hold them, get him an array of board books that he can look at and even gnaw on. You’ve heard of cutting your teeth on the classics…how about a board book edition of Make Way for Ducklings? Vinyl books (sometimes designed especially for the bathtub) are great because they can be drooled on and wiped off.
Rhymes and Rhythms
Small children love the cadence of rhyming words. Dr. Seuss is an old favorite, and for good reason. Don’t be surprised if your child has his favorite book memorized at an early age – rhymes are great for memorization skills.
Dancing Animals and Imagination
No, Giraffes really can’t dance. But introducing your child to the world of fantasy is great for her imagination. And the better her imagination, the better her problem-solving skills will be.
Ask any kindergarten teacher and she will tell you that the best way to help your child prepare for school is by reading to her. Start cultivating a love for books from the very first day of your baby’s life and set her up for a lifetime of reading and learning.
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