Reading to Your Baby

Why are parents so important in helping

their children getready to read?

You are your child’s first teacher.

You know your child best.

Children learn best by doing, and they love doing things with

you.

Why Read to Babies and Toddlers?

1. It’s fun.

2. It builds vocabulary.

3. It stimulates the imagination.

4. It increases the chance of later school success.

5. It teaches empathy and understanding of other viewpoints.

6. It entertains, it stimulates and it lights up the senses (and it’s not a screen!)

7. Books can travel anywhere, from the bus or car to the doctor’s office, grocery store, playground…..

8. Reading is an introduction to new worlds: bugs, animals, and other exciting topics

9. Reading helps teach about and handle all those big feelings that toddlers don’t have words for yet.

10.Reading is super food for the brain!

Reading is essential to school success.

Start now to help yourchild get ready to read.

Learning to read begins before

children start school.

Fun Things Babies Do While You’re Reading• Fall asleep

• Grab the book while you’re reading

• Pull your hair

• Hold the page so you can’t turn it

• Sit on the floor and look at you like you’re out of your mind

• Tear the page or rip off the flaps

• Throw the book on the floor

• Point and demand, “What’s that?” on every page

• Scream

• Babble out her own story while you read

• Open and shut the book over and over for a little “peek-a-boo”

• Listen happily for two pages, then head off – and get upset if you stop reading!

The 30 Million Word Gap “Meaningful Differences in the Everyday

Experiences of Young American Children” by Todd Risley, Ph.D. and Betty Hart, Ph.D. followed every word spoken to 42 families for one hour a week, for over three years.

There was a 30 million gap in the number of words heard by children by the age of four years old.

Children who had heard more words in books, songs, and conversation scored higher on IQ/intelligence tests.

When the children were tested at age three and age nine, the differences held.

Children’s school success is directly connected to how many words they hear between birth and age three

Five simple practices help childrenget ready to read.

Help your child get ready to read with simple activities every day.

Children’s books have more advanced vocabulary than every day

conversation. There are about 10,000 common words we use from day to day. Reading to children exposes

them to more new words and helps them “grow” their vocabularies…and

their brains!

Shared reading is the best way to help your

child getready to read.

Reading together with your children

is the single most important way to

help them get ready to read.

Use the language you know best to help

your child get ready to read.

Singing helps your childget ready to read.

Singing:

Songs are a natural way tolearn about language.

Reading is essential to school success.

Start now to help yourchild get ready to read.

Learning to read begins before children start

school.

Talking helps your childget ready to read.

Talking

Writing helps your childget ready to read.

Making Marks Drawing and Writing

Name Writing Word Writing

Reading and writing go together.

Playing helps your childget ready to read.

Children learn about language through different kinds of play.

Your home can be a learning center to help

your child get readyto read.

Make your home a learning zone!