I believe that it's never too early to learn to read books.
I find people are generally surprised when I tell them that I read books to my fourteen-month-old daughter every day. They are even more surprised that I have done so since we brought her home from the hospital.
Many friends have made the point to me that I'm wasting my time because there is no way possible that a new born baby gets any possible advantage from this. I have discovered, however, that reading books to my daughter has been a great bonding experience from our first reading adventure to the latest story.
It isn't that I believe that a newborn understands what is being said when someone reads books to them. It's simply that the combination of the sound of my voice and the pictures on the pages seem to have a positive and calming effect on the baby.
I began to read books aloud when I was pregnant. I would do this at least three times a day, while I was at work. I worked with young children and as part of my duties I would read books to my kids at work. Surprisingly, I noticed that the baby would kick when I read certain books. Since she had a response, I consciously made the decision to continue to read books for her.
This routine has been a part of our bonding from day one and I have no plans to change things now. My daughter absolutely loves when I read books to her. She even responds to the word "book" when I say it out loud. She knows what it is. With so many kids illiterate these days, I am so very thrilled that she has taken to reading so early.
Our routine is very simple - and it virtually revolves around reading. When she and I get up in the morning, one of the very first things I do is to read books to her for a few minutes. This not only helps to wake us both up, it gets our minds working a little bit as well. She loves the pictures and she loves helping to turn the pages.
Then following lunch, we read books again. It serves as a type of reward for good eating throughout the meal. We then read next once we have dinner for the same reason. And lastly, I like to read books to her right before she drifts off to sleep. I give her a bath, read her a book, then put her to bed.
This routine not only works beautifully but I also find that she exhibits less behavior problems when we are on our book reading schedule. Just another bonus for beginning the process early of reading books to your child.
