We hear a lot about reading to babies and toddlers and how it is beneficial to language and cognitive development.

And in this post, we’re going to dive into the why behind this suggestion.

But first let me first tell you a quick story.

Reading has always been a love of mine. But I didn’t always know it. It was such a cool and enlightening experience for me when I was studying in college, as well as getting my Montessori training to realize just how much that early fostering of the love of reading contributed to my love for it as an adult.

As I began to compare just when language begins to develop to the effects of early childhood on adulthood, to the tools that are needed to thrive in the current education system, it all just made sense. Everything made sense. And I saw it everyday in my work with my infants in my class.

Let’s Talk About When To Start

Start reading during pregnancy! As your baby is developing in your womb, they are already beginning to make connections about their outer world, beginning with learning about the mother’s and father’s voices. Their language begins to develop as the right side of their brain develops, and they are listening to everything that is going on to try and help acclimate to what will be their world in some months.

So, start getting yourself into a reading routine before the baby is born! The really cool thing about reading is it has extremely positive benefits for both you, your partner, and your developing baby. We know that in adults, reading can be a natural stress reliever! And sending those happy brain signals to your developing baby is so good for their development! So why not snuggle up, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and get lost in a story…

Let’s Create Reading Routines

Everyday your infant is making brain connections about their world. Whether they are newborn, 5 months, 8 months, or a year, they are always making those connections. And with all of these connections that they make, after age 3 they lose the ones they don’t often use or don’t use at all. That being said, let’s make their love of reading books a connection that sticks. Make reading a fun and consistent part of their world to give them every opportunity to thrive later on!

Not only is reading so good for their language development, but it gives you a structured time to sit down with your child and connect!

In my experience, the children whose parent’s read to them everyday were much more likely to go to school and choose to read. I would find infants as young as 8 months sitting in my library, pulling book after book out of the reading basket and flipping through those cardboard pages. It was such a beautiful thing to see… 🙂

So… why not try to incorporate that into your routines everyday? Perhaps it’s a morning reading snuggle session before work. Perhaps it’s during the winding down hour at night, just after you give them a bath and bottle. Or perhaps it’s in the middle of the day, as they approach their nap time.

Regardless, if they know to expect that one on one reading time with mommy, daddy, caregiver, or whomever, it will stick with them forever. I know it did for me.

Xoxo,

Bianca, Your Baby Tour Guide

Ps… Discover some of my favorite book ideas for babies in My Montessori Baby Shoppe linked here!