Infants
November, 2018
Importance Of Early Literacy Skills
Learning to read and write doesn't start in the first grade. Developing language and literacy skills begins at birth through everyday loving interactions; such as sharing books, telling stories, singing songs and talking to one another. Learn how adults—parents, grandparents, and teachers, can play a very important role in preparing young children for future school success and helping them become self-confident and motivated learners.
~"Zero to Three: Early Connections Last a Lifetime"
Talking vs. Not Talking
Studies show that by age four, children whose parents talk with them daily since birth, have an average of 45 million words in their vocabulary. Where children whose parents did not talk as much, have only a vocabulary of 13 million words.
The Difference
That is a difference of 32 MILLION WORDS!!
"The more words children hear and come to understand, the more words they can say, and the better their vocabulary and reading skills are likely to be."
Brain Imaging Studies
Recent brain imaging reveals that while a child is being read to, there are many parts of the brain that are active, and the activity overlaps between many areas of the brain. The Cerebral Cortex lights up when a baby focuses on a task at hand. While being read to, a baby is focused on the words of the reader, as well as the book. Baby is able to snap a picture of the printed letters using the Occipital Lobe which then communicates to the Angular Gyrus, and matching the letter image to the letter sound. AS children go through life experiences, they are later able to connect to stories that can relate to their life, activating sensory and memory areas of the brain as well.
Social Emotional Skills
Reading to a child not only increases brain function and problem solving, but also encourages social emotional skills. As baby sits in your lap, they feel safe, loved and secure, while bonding with you! These feelings of security and love nurture thinking and language skills.
Reading at baby's level
A read aloud does not have to be up in a chair, while baby sits at your feet and looks up at the pictures. Come down to their level!
Positive Facial Expressions
Babies cue into our body language and facial expressions. While reading with baby, using upbeat and happy voices if the characters are happy, and sad voice tones if the characters are sad. Tone, along with facial expressions will not only engage baby, but will help strengthen baby's ability to put emotion with words and pictures.
Safe and secure on your lap
Forming a bond with baby increases their ability to nurture others later in life. Baby is happy to be close to you, and what better time to be close than when reading a story?!
Engaging Reading
There are many ways to keep baby engaged while reading; using finger puppets, story sensory baskets, or even changing your voice will encourage baby's interest. Repetition of stories will help baby's recall and recognition skills, so don't be afraid to read the same story more than once! While reading, talk with baby about what they may see on the page, and if they can find what's in the pictures any where around them, helping them make connections to real life.
In Conclusion...
Read a variety of books and read often! It's never too late to start reading with baby. Find out more by visiting https://www.zerotothree.org/espanol/early-literacy