Book Babies!

BOOK BABIES!

“Reading to babies and young children is so important,” says Cleveland Clinic pediatrician Sarah Klein, MD. “It provides the building blocks for language. And it gives them the tools for forming lifelong social and emotional skills.”

The Cleveland Clinic article continues:

Reading is a skill that will serve your children well in school and in life. But hearing books read aloud has benefits long before they show up for their first day of kindergarten. Those benefits include:

Language skills: Hearing words read aloud helps babies’ blossoming language skills really start to bloom. Reading introduces them to a greater number of words and more complex language than they might otherwise hear in day-to-day conversation.

Bonding: Snuggling up to read a book together signals safety, love and emotional connection, Dr. Klein says. “Having that one-on-one attention with your baby strengthens your bond.”

Emotional learning: Babies aren’t just looking at the pictures in their favorite books. They’re also watching you frown when a book character is frustrated or smile at the happy ending. “Your baby mimics your expressions and the sounds you make,” Dr. Klein says. “That helps with early brain development.”

Establishing routines: Dr. Klein says kids of all ages thrive on a routine. Reading can be a great addition to the daily schedule. If you get in the habit of reading at bedtime, for example, a book can signal to a baby that it’s time to slow down and get ready for sleep. (And anything that makes bedtime easier is worth the effort.)

School success: “Research has shown that about a third of kids start kindergarten without the language skills they need to learn to read,” says Dr. Klein. “Reading to babies and small children helps them develop those valuable skills.”

Find the full Cleveland Clinic article by clicking here.

(Page cover photo: Ilana Schwartz: Writer)

Pictures help tell the love-of-reading story!

Do you have a photo of a baby or toddler "reading" ... or at least trying?! If so, send in your favorite photo(s) to our email: rifnova@gmail.com. We will publish selected photos in our monthly newsletter and on our website (with absolutely no names or identifiers). All we need from you is approval to use the photo in our media. Feel free to suggest a caption for your photo to add to the fun!

We plan a full 12-month "calendar" of Book Babies, starting with January 2021. Our hope is to publish Book Baby note cards to help celebrate RIF of NOVA's 50th anniversary in 2022!