Reading a book before bedtime is a popular evening routine for parents and young children, and has been for hundreds of years. There are many benefits of parents reading to their toddlers, but many parents don’t begin reading to their child until they reach their toddler years. In fact, there are several benefits of reading to your child as young as infancy.
At Prosperity Day School, we provide child care for children six weeks to five years old. We aim to provide the highest quality of child care in Palm Beach Gardens in a safe and nurturing environment. Our infant program is held in our nurseries, separate from the older children and it is specially designed to allow hands-on, personal attention that nurtures the growth and development of each child. The infant phase is delicate and while it may seem like activities are limited for babies at such a young age, our infant program incorporates stimulation, the nurturing they need, along with age appropriate activities.
Interested in our Palm Beach Gardens infant program?
The Benefits of Reading To Infants
If you think your infant is too young to enjoy story time, think again. Continue reading to learn how reading to your newborn can benefit their growth.
Reading to your infant one-on-one is a special time to bond. The sound of your voice is soothing and helps develop and stimulate their feelings of intimacy toward you as you feel toward them.
Encourages First Words
It’s no surprise that your infant won’t understand what you’re saying while you’re reading a story but that shouldn’t stop you. Your baby will begin to pick up the rhythm, tones, and inflections in your voice. The more words a baby is exposed to, the better prepared they are to begin speaking on their own — even if it’s just jibberish!
Boosts Brain Power
Studies have shown that children who were read to as an infant develop a larger vocabulary and advanced academic skills.
As you read through the story, and your voice changes sound and rhythm to capture the feelings of the story, your baby is being exposed to those emotions. Whether you’re making a silly voice to impersonate a character or changing the tone of your voice to describe the story’s scenario, your baby can hear it and is recognizing the emotion. This is teaching them that the sound of words convey different meanings.
Increases Visual Focus
From zero to three months old, your infant will start to focus on patterns and images. Reading picture books to your infant serves two purposes; presents them with interesting visuals while listening to the sound of your voice. As months go on, they’ll begin to recognize shapes, letters, and colors.
Reading Is Fun!
As you read to your child on a regular basis, you’re teaching your baby that reading is an enjoyable time. Beginning the routine at an early age will foster their love for reading and grow into enjoying it on their own.
Don’t Just Read Children’s Books
If you’re tired of repeating Hop On Pop over and over then it’s time to put the children’s books to rest, and read something you enjoy. Take advantage of the fact that your infant cannot understand and comprehend what you’re saying aloud, and choose something you want read! A magazine article, your favorite novel, anything! As long as you’re pleasantly reading out loud, your pleasing yourself and your baby!
Prosperity Day School is proud to offer an infant program in Palm Beach Gardens to nurture the growth of beautiful babies. If you need an honest and trustworthy child care facility, contact us today to schedule a tour!