Top Five Reasons to Read to Your Little One (Updated 2021)

At Bumbershoots by Nana, we love to read.   Giraffes Can’t Dance, Beekle, and anything by Sandra Boyton (love love love her books for your littlest of littles) are some of Bumbershoots by Nana's favorite children books.   Reading to your little enriches both of your lives in innumerable ways.   Here are five to consider with your morning coffee!  

1.  Hearing words (even if the child doesn’t yet understand them) helps build a rich network of words in your little one’s brain. Kids whose parents frequently talk/read to them know more words by age two than children who have not been read to.  The more stories you read aloud, the more words your child will be exposed to and the better he or she will be able to talk. And reading to your child demonstrates the value of reading, which can foster a love of reading down the road. 

2.  When you read aloud using emotion and expression, you promote your little one’s social and emotional development and it conveys that there are concepts and meanings behind the words.  Emotional intelligence, empathy, what is appropriate or not appropriate – reading aloud while honing your acting skills can teach a lot! 

3.  Reading interactively with your child (asking a toddler questions about what is happening in the book or what they see), promotes your little’s thinking skills. Studies show that children who were read to as newborns not only have a larger vocabulary, but more advanced mathematical skills than kids their age who were not. 

4. Reading exposes your little one to visuals (shapes, patterns, letters, numbers), and in some books, textures,  that they will begin to recognize later on. 

5.  Bonding, bonding, bonding!!!  Not only is it time spent together, cuddling while you read helps your little one feel safe, warm, and connected to you.