Many people are surprised that I read books to my fourteen-month-old daughter every day and even more surprised that I have done so since we brought her home from the hospital.According to child specialists reading to your child can help in his/her language development to a great extent .
Some would argue that a newborn reaps no benefits from this and that the entire effort is lost. However, I have found that reading books to my daughter has been a great bonding experience from our first reading adventure to the latest story. It isn’t that I believe that a newborn understands what is being said when someone reads books to them. It’s just that the sound of the voice and the images on the pages (though blurry) have a positive effect on the baby.
I also would read books aloud while I was pregnant, at least three times each day. I started doing this while I was working. I worked with young children and I would read books to my kids at work. I noticed that the baby would kick when I read certain books. I thought that I might as well continue to read books for her since she had a reaction.
This practice has been inherent in our interaction almost from day one and I have no plans of making changes. My daughter loves when I read books to her. She even responds to the word “book” when I use it. She definitely knows what it is. This bond to reading that she has is thrilling for me.
We have a daily routine that practically revolves around reading. Once she and I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is read books to her for a few minutes. This helps to wake us both and get our minds working a little bit. She delights in the pictures and she loves to turn the pages.
Right after lunch, we read books again. It serves as a kind of reward for good eating during the meal. The next reading comes after dinner for the same reason. I like to read books to her right before she drifts off to sleep as well. She gets a bath, book then bed. This routine works wonderfully and I find that there are less behavior problems when we are on a schedule.
What’s funny is my daughter’s favorite story is “Green Eggs and Ham” which is the same story I would read aloud while I was pregnant. When I read books, this one has to be on the list each time. Sometimes I wonder if she remembers that book but that would be silly. Wouldn’t it?
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