Author: Mary Warren PhD, IMH-E® (IV-P)
Reading to your child is building her brain! New research provides convincing evidence that holding your child in your lap, or next to you, while reading a book is both helping your child’s brain to expand the area responsible for integrating sound and pictures, but also provides more vocabulary words and grammar than just speech. When children listen to a story, they begin to see in their mind’s eye the pictures the words are telling them. This will help them as they transition to books without pictures when they get into elementary school.
The language used in books is frequently richer, using different words and grammar than the language we use to talk to our children. More vocabulary words and correct grammar will help them in school too.
So cuddle up and read to your child. Encourage your child to make up a different ending to the story. Or just read that same book for the 100th time!
Pediatrics, August 5, 2015, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/08/05/peds.2015-0359.abstract?sid=5b1e0b71-9369-4d5e-923b-8a304e346b35