728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Development › Let's Start Reading!

Let's Start Reading!

It's Never Too Early to Introduce Reading to Your Child

By Susan Younan Attiyah

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  

It is a common belief that newborns can recognize their mother's voice only seconds after birth. Is it possible for a mother to use this information to help her new infant develop an interest in reading? Possibly. But if you didn't start reading to your child soon after birth, don't worry! It's never too late to start.

Off to a Good Start
"The importance of reading to children starts at birth," says Teresa Battiston, director of United Methodist Preschool, in Glendora, Calif. "The only thing that settles a child down at birth is the mother's voice. It may be humming a familiar tune or reading a simple rhyme, but it's all in the mother's voice."

It's not being implied that children can understand what you read to them the minute they are born, only that parents begin reading to their children as a way to soothe them with their voice. At this point in a child's development, the importance is not on what is read to the child, only that something is read to them.

"I believe in reading to a child even before they are born," says Michelle Marie Alcido from Houston, Texas. "I read to my son every night during the last three months of my pregnancy. I also brought a book to the hospital. I held him for the first time, nursed him for the first time, sang to him for the first time and, just importantly, I read to him for the first time!"

Reading to Toddlers
The U.S. Department of Education recommends that parents read to their children at least 20 minutes a day. Start there, then slowly expand on that time frame.


Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.