Singing to a baby feels kind of useless to many people, especially when it comes to impacting the baby’s development. The babies themselves cannot grasp these words, of course. However, research indicates that exposing babies to reading produces significant effects on mental, social, as well as language development. Now let’s turn our attention to why reading to babies is important and why it is beneficial to babies.

Builds Language Skills and Vocabulary

One of the major benefits of reading to your baby early is therefore to assist in early language development. Newborns have developing brains and they come to this world with the desire and ability to learn the language. If parents read to their babies they help familiarize them with the sounds and structure of the language, hence, building for future interactions.

The early literacy skills of children who are read to help excel that of the children who are not read to, according to a study by the AAP. The AAP advice is to start as soon as possible because that language experience ‘feeds’ the child’s brain, and the child learns to recognize words quicker and comprehend sentences.

Encourages Bonding Between Parent and Baby

The reading to a baby is a time of bonding. By holding your baby while reading you feel safe, warm and comfortable. One of the ways used to reassure the baby making him or her feel secure is through the comforting sound produced by a parent. Besides, reading also establishes a daily ritual in that parents and children spend time together and read a book at least once in the evening before going to bed.

According to the survey conducted by the Reach Out and Read program children who were read to by their parents daily were likely to have secured parental attachment. These displays of love provide the babies with that kind of security which makes them grow emotionally secure.

Boosts Brain Development

There has been evidence that a time in childhood is important to the development of the brain a lot. During the first few years of development, the baby experiences rapid synaptic formation that determines how he or she will reason, learn or solve problems. Reading extends the visual and auditory receptive areas of the brain; it also compliments the memory and concentration aspect of a baby.

A study done by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital revealed that children who were read to before they were 3 years old saw those regions light up more when children who were either never read to, or who were read to less than once a week did. Far from being just a bedtime story, reading is the exercise that creates neural pathways that enable babies to understand the world they live in.

Fosters a Love for Books and Learning

Children who have books and read from childhood develop positive attitudes towards reading because they regard books as enjoyable. The idea is that the earlier the child is exposed to books, the more likely he or she will grow up to be an independent reader or learner. To a large extent, readers from infancy have higher interest levels, creativity and willingness to learn as they advance in age.

According to research carried out by the National Institute for Literacy, students who are raised in literate homes, in this case, homes that contain books and where reading is commonplace shall be better prepared for school than those who are not. The above children have higher literacy levels and can understand what is said to them or written. Reading together creates the right vision and expectation towards reading and gives access to knowledge and innovation.

Supports Emotional Development

Books that enact emotions such as Happy, sad, seeing colours, talk about shapes, and animals help babies make sense of such things. When parents read about feelings or situations, they assist in expanding the baby’s horizon of understanding to simple emotions. Picture books with preventive scaffolds, that relay easy-to-follow details of sharing, helping or being nice teach values for empathy, kindness and respect.

Making Reading a Daily Habit

The advantages of reading to your baby range from enhanced brain functions to improved parent-child interaction. In other words, it does not matter if a baby is read to only for a few minutes every day, as this will greatly affect the child’s development and learning abilities. It is a small practice with a huge effect helping babies be ready for a lifetime of learning and discovery. Therefore, take a book and begin this wonderful task of education with your boy or girl as of today.