Language is how human beings interact with each other. It enables us to share ideas, thoughts and our feelings with each other.
Language is the most powerful tool that we possess.
And how do we master this tool? - Reading is one of the most effective ways to gain mastery over this tool.
What does reading to your infant do for them?
Reading to your infant introduces the world to them. They now know and begin identifying the world beyond the mother’s womb.
When you are reading to your child, you and your child are present in the moment, in the book. While you catch some cuddles and snuggles from your little one, your little one knows that this is the time between you and them. Nothing else matters at that moment. It becomes a time that your child cherishes with you.
When you read aloud to your child, they are absorbing the words you read, the context around it and the pronunciations. Reading stories and books brings about words that you may not use in your day-to-day conversations. Your child may not be ready to talk yet, but rest assured when they are ready to converse with you, they have an extensive vocabulary to communicate with you what they exactly want to.
When you read, do you imagine the story in your head? Do you picture the scenes in your head? Do you visualise the characters? Reading makes you use your imagination. Similarly, reading stories to your child encourages their imagination. They put together scenes with how much they know. They look at the pictures and build their own stories.
While going through a book, your child learns to focus on the pictures and listen to you reading the book aloud. This helps your child build their listening skills gradually over a period of time.
Stories provide insight into parts of the universe that are known to children. They learn to ask questions about what they don’t know. They ask the why’s, how’s of things, questions you probably never thought of.
My husband and I read a book to my toddler on most nights before sleeping. If we don’t read one, she makes sure to remind us. There was a time when she listened to us reading to her. Now, we are only flipping through the pages and she tells us the story.
A few days back, she asked me,” Mama, why do unicorns have tails?” and I was dumbfounded. That was something I never thought about. Answering her why’s and how’s is exhausting, no doubt, but I am sure our nightly reading sessions has definitely contributed to her development.
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