Importance of Reading
Try to read with your child for 10 minutes every day.
Reading with and to your child is a vital part of their development, not just for their own reading skills, but for many other aspects, including developing emotional skills, imagination, and an understanding of aspects of life which will help them.
Reading, talking and singing with your child from birth will also build a better bond between you and your child, and help their self-confidence and feeling of security. Remember that the first 3 years of a child's life are the most important for their development and learning.
Make reading an important part of your home life and you will make all the difference to your children's development.
For guidance on how to help your baby through its early years, we would strongly recommend that you attend ante and postnatal classes offered by our partner, Suffolk Babies
Your talking, reading and singing should start even before your baby is even born! Talk, read and sing to your bump....your baby will recognise your voices once they are born. Reading or singing a nursery rhyme or a favourite song to your bump and the baby will recognise it once it is born. All the family can join in so that baby recognises everyone.
Take turns with your baby, talk to your baby and wait for their response. It might only be a look, a smile at first and will grow into some gurgles!.
The number of words a child knows at 2 years predicts how well they will behave and manage their emotions when they are 6 and how well they will read at 11.
Smiles and laughing are often the first form of communication. When your baby is ready, encourage face to face communication with noises and repeated activities such as songs or rhymes. The best way to make a baby laugh is to play a game of peekaboo. Lots of books extend the peekaboo game with lift the flaps or mirrors to reveal baby's face.
Share stories, songs and rhymes together with your children until they become teenagers to create a love of reading.
We know that nursery staff and teachers are responsible for guiding the learning of our children, but it is also vital that you play a full part in helping your child, if only to give them encouragement and support. Reading will always play a key role in this, giving an opportunity for sharing quiet time together, extending the list of useful words that they know and continuing the supportive bonding.
We can advise on the books to use for different ages, see blow, and would recommend that you register with your local library so that you can borrow books for free. Some outline library information can be found here.
Back to Families
The reading journey starts before baby is even born. Did you know that your baby can recognise your voice from 23 weeks? Talking, singing and reading are great ways for your bump to get used to your voice and the voices of other family members. It will develop your baby's brain and help with their language skills.
Newborns recognise their parent's voice. Give your baby the best start in life by singing, rhyming and sharing stories with them from day one. Take turns with your baby, talk to your baby and wait for their response. It might only be a look or a smile at first which will grow into more vocal responses, soon your baby will babble back to you like an adult.
See DJ Pryor 'baby talk' video here
Smiles and laughing are often the first form of communication. A study by Goldsmiths found the best was to make a baby laugh was to play a game of peekaboo. Lots of books extend the peekaboo game with lift the flaps or mirrors to reveal baby's face.
Babies make incredible developments in their first 1,000 days (up to 3 years of age). The first 1,000 days are important to build your baby's brain, their words and vocabulary - share stories, songs and rhyme together to create a love reading.
A child's vocabulary at 2 years predicts how well they will behave and manage their emotions when they are 6 and how well they will read at 11.
Few children are read to daily. Recent research shows that less than a 32% 0-13 year olds are read to daily, a decreasing trend. Nearly a quarter of parents, 22%, never read to their child and only 8% read to their child from birth (YouGov 2017). Studies find that reading to a child usually tails off around the age of 8. Continuing to read with your children beyond the point at which they can read independently can have huge benefits for both adult and child. Reading is important for children's life chances, their well-being and their happiness.
Children who read for pleasure daily or nearly every day can be a year ahead in reading compared to those who never read.
Reading for Pleasure has a positive impact on children's wellbeing including better resilience, happiness, empathy, communication skills and relaxation.
To help children read for pleasure find a reading routine. In the early days that can be a good bedtime routine, see BookTrust's Bath, Book, Bed campaign.
Reading to your child creates an emotional connection between adult and child that is vital for encouraging children to read independently. Reading to your child gives them a strong message that you matter enough for me to give you my time. Helps children to feel loved, secure and creates a deep sense of wellbeing. With a busy family schedule creating this time gives you both quality time together.
Try to read with your child for 10 minutes every day. See the Save the Children here