Reading is Essential for Development
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading to children daily starting in infancy. In fact, they recommend that pediatricians prescribe reading and screen for early literacy at well-child visits.
Reading with children in their infancy and preschool years is associated with higher language skills at school entry and with childhood literacy acquisition.
— American Academy of Pediatrics
As a speech pathologist and a mother, I found that quote to be profound. Reading books now with my own small children, and the toddlers I work with could impact them years later…but how? To figure out the answer, I took another dive into the literature.
The first 8 years of a child’s life build a foundation for future health and life success. Thus, the cumulative and lifelong impact of early experiences, both positive and negative, on a child’s development can be profound.
The human brain undergoes rapid growth during childhood, driven in part by a child’s acquisition and integration of skills across many developmental domains. — Robinson et al as part of the CDC Grand Rounds
In other words, an important part of brain development occurs within infancy and childhood. A safe and supportive home environment, access to adequate food and shelter and stimulation, include listening to stories and reading, is an important way to support that development.
In preschool children listening to stories, greater home reading exposure is positively associated with activation of brain areas supporting mental imagery and narrative comprehension, controlling for household income — Hutton et al.
This study by Hutton et al supports other research that I found that indicates reading with children is a great way to stimulate and enhance development, specifically in vocabulary acquisition, important expressive and receptive communication skills, and story comprehension.
Knowing the importance of literacy skills, I recommend that parents read with their infants and children. Parents often find that their child is not wanting to sit for a story or may not be interested. It may be hard to work out how to read effectively when the child is squirmy and is not able to pay attention. While it may seem that way, don’t give up!
Here are some researched-based strategies and personally vetted tips:
- Let children explore books in the ways that interest them. Babies might mouth books and some children will only want to read certain pages — that okay! Older kids may look at one picture for a long time or flip through the book quickly. Let children engage with the book in the way that makes sense to them.
- Expect that young children can only sit and engage with a book for a few minutes. They will be able to sit longer as they get older and with practice. Let them decide how much (or how little) time they want to sit and read. They will not get the benefit of reading if you have to restrain them.
- Make books part of your routine — reading before bedtime or after meal times are great times to sit and engage. Try keeping books in the car and the diaper bag so that they can be read wherever you go.
- Try to keep books close to the infant’s body to help them visually focus. Infants can only see 8 to 10 inches in front of their face (think distance from the infant’s face to the caregiver’s face when held). Children five months of age and older have better depth and color perception.
- The words in storybooks are a good jumping off point but don’t worry about reading each book exactly as it is written. More words on a page does not necessarily make a book better. You are not locked into just reading words. Summarize the story at your child’s speed or talk about the pictures, find all of the dogs, count things, or skip pages if they are not interested.
- When kids are older, encourage them to verbally engage and talk about the book. Ask them which part they liked best, which picture was their favorite and why, and why the characters are doing what they are doing.
Here is the takeaway message:
There is no one “correct” or “right” way to read to a child as long as it is enjoyable. The most important thing to do is to make reading fun and joyful. If children are having fun then they are listening and learning. So, use this opportunity to use a silly voice or act out your favorite line in the story. Your child will appreciate the effort and research has shown that the impact is long lasting.
Want to take a deeper dive?
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