What are the Benefits of Reading to Babies?
Reading to Your Baby
The baby’s ability to learn language and distinguish languages from each other is much more advanced than an adult, due to the newly formed neuron and neuron connections, reading books is also one of the best tools for baby’s learning language and baby’s speech development.
From the sounds you make while reading the book, the rhythms of the words, the structure of the baby language, its pronunciation, etc. receives and records all information such as From birth, the baby’s brain development is very fresh and he will benefit greatly from the stimuli you will give him during these periods, the book can provide him with these stimuli in a very good way; like colors, shapes, animals, vehicles in baby books. Especially between 6-12 months, the baby will start to remember these objects that you will point and point with your finger again and again. Reading to your baby is also very important for the baby’s emotional and intellectual development.
When should you start reading to your baby?
Getting your baby to love reading starts at a very early age, your baby can look at the books on your lap and start getting to know them from an early age. You don’t have to wait for your baby to talk to start reading. The earlier the baby begins to read, the better his/her language skills will be in the future, and reading started at an early age will positively affect his/her desire and love for reading in the future. Reading to your baby at an early age is of great importance for infant speech development; The baby, whose speech development progresses efficiently, will be more prepared for kindergarten and primary school in the future. In addition, taking the baby in your arms and reading a book is a nice baby activity that provides bonding, other members of the family can also do it. The attention that the baby gives to your reading may be quite short at first, it will be useful to read for a few minutes. As the baby’s development progresses, the amount of attention he gives to your reading will increase.
When should you read to your baby?
You can read to your baby before bedtime, especially when some babies fall asleep, a book is a good tool. It can be read at mealtimes, in the car, or while waiting for a doctor’s appointment, a positive, fun book about the doctor can be a good baby activity as well as make your baby have positive expectations. (3 years old and above) There are plastic covered baby books that can be read in the bathroom.
What should you pay attention to when reading a book to your baby?
You should hold your baby on your lap or you can sit next to him if he is big enough to sit. While reading the book or talking about the pictures in the book, speak with a high-frequency voice and read with emphasis on all the syllables. It has been observed that infants listen more carefully to sentences with high frequencies and which are read emphatically on syllables. Make different intonations for the different characters in the book you are reading, it will definitely please your baby. Using your body language while reading the book is another remarkable element for the baby. Repeating what you read is very important for the baby’s language development, repeating allows the baby to learn the sounds and rhythms in the language. Babies and toddlers listen more attentively and with pleasure to books that have rhyme, rhythm, and repetition in them.
What kind of books do babies like?
In order to make your baby love reading, you should choose books that are suitable for his development and make sure that the book is not pointed and has a structure that the baby can look at and explore. Babies are especially interested in books that are interesting to look at and touch, so they will be interested in books with baby activities that make a sound when touched, lift-look, and contain surprises. Such books with visual and tactile stimuli will also have a positive effect on the visual and tactile development of the baby. As the subject; animals, athletes, princesses, children etc. they will like it. If your baby does not seem interested in the book despite your efforts, you can continue to experiment with a new book at another time.