Many parents know that reading to their babies is important, but they don't know WHY. After all, babies don't understand the words we're reading, so what are they getting out of it? According to Ginny Kochis, "reading aloud to infants...is not a fruitless or passive endeavor. The act of sharing a book with a baby strengthens parent-child bonds and provides positive sensory stimulation necessary for proper development." Read more of Kochis' article, and the information she shares from Reading Is Fundamental about the importance of reading to babies.
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Reading Aloud to Your Child
Take a look at the charming and informative video clips at the Brooklyn Public Library. Their program "The First 5 Years" shows 7 "Read to Me" videos with parents, siblings, and grandparents reading to young children. Each video clip has a reading aloud tip helps parents understand how important it is to read to their children.
"Asking questions keeps you connected..." a parent and child are talking about the pictures in a book.
"This doesn't look like reading, but it is..." a young boy is opening books upside down and "tasting" them.
Also take a look at the workshops that the Read to Me program has for young mothers, to encourage them to read regularly to their little ones.
http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/first5years/