An infant won’t understand everything you’re doing or why. However, reading aloud to your baby is a wonderful shared activity you can continue for years to come and it’s important for your baby’s brain! Reading before bed gives you and your baby special bonding time where you can snuggle while reading as your infant is exposed to the sound of your voice. Your voice will become soothing and help calm him before going to bed.
Research has shown that the more words a baby is exposed to, the better prepared he is to eventually start reading on his own. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavior Pediatrics found that kids who are read to every day are exposed to around 78,000 words each year.
Reading, singing lullabies, and nursery rhymes can also entertain and sooth your infant. Read with expression using different voices for different characters. You will be amazed at how your little one begins responding to rhythmic movement in your voice with his arms and legs. Being read to helps children become responsive to what he is seeing or hearing around him. From 0-3 months your child will start focusing his eyes on simple patterns on the pages of the book which he will begin to recognize as the months go on. By the time babies reach their first birthday they will have learned all the sounds needed to speak their native language. The more stories you read aloud, the more words your baby will hear and the better they’ll be able to talk.
“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader” – Margaret Fuller