Read Dr. Seuss to Your Baby

When my son was around 20 months old, we spent some time reading Dr. Seuss books.  We had a lot of fun with these.  Who wouldn't?  They are so silly.  When we would finish the books, we would continue on rhyming in the spirit of the books we had just read.  This was a lot of fun.  I began to notice that it was carrying over into my son's vocabulary at other times of the day as well.  When I would ask him a question that warranted a yes answer, instead of saying yes, he would say, "Yes, pess is a bess."  If I asked him a question that warranted a no answer, I got something like this, "No, poe is a foe."  I would just quickly explain to those who would hear his answer that we had been enjoying some Dr. Seuss books lately.  It was really quite funny and he certainly learned to rhyme.  Kids are never too young to have fun playing rhyming games.  Why not read some Dr. Seuss to your child and make up your own language?  It is quite fun.

Text Pointing Benefits Baby

When you are reading to your baby, try adding some text pointing.  By doing this, you are training your baby to read from left to right.  Babies are capable of learning this at an early age.  They will also learn which way the pages of the book turn.  When you read very repetitive books to your baby and implement text pointing, your baby will soon be recognizing the words in their printed form as well.

Benefits of Reading to Your Baby From Birth

I have been reading the book Baby Read Aloud Basics.  It is a very good book and includes a list of the ten benefits of reading aloud to babies.

Ten Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Baby

1. Reading promotes listening skills.
2. Reading to baby increases the number of vocabulary words they hear.
3. Reading develops attention span and memory.
4. Reading helps babies learn uncommon words.
5. Reading helps babies learn to understand the meaning of words.
6. Reading helps babies learn the concepts about print.
7. Reading helps babies learn to get information from illustrations.
8. Reading promotes bonding and calmness for both baby and parent.
9. Reading stimulates the imagination and all the senses.
10. Reading instills the love of books and learning.

For more information you can view the website at www.readtoyourbaby.com.  

Baby's First Teacher

You may not have realized that having a baby meant you were signing up to be a teacher.  In fact, parents are babies first teachers.  Recent research shows that the amount of words a baby hears per hour before the age of two will determine their future academic success.  Wow!  That can put a bit of pressure on parents to perform.  How can we parents be sure we are providing our baby with all the language they need to hear?  It  isn't really that difficult.  Here are three simple ways to surround your baby with language daily.

1. Talk to your baby -  Your baby will learn more efficiently by hearing more language.  Hearing language gives your baby the opportunity to master his mother tongue.  You can do this by telling your baby everything.  Tell baby where you are going, why you are going there, what colors you see, how  you feel, etc...
2. Read to your baby -  Babies that are read to from birth to two are able to develop a more advanced vocabulary that babies that were not.  This is crucial when it is time for baby to go to school and begin mastering the written word.  Babies that are read to regularly rarely struggle with literacy.
3. Sing to your baby -  Babies love to hear lullabies.  This is an excellent means for parents to surround their babies with language.  You will certainly use words in your songs that you might not use in everyday conversation.

Follow these three simple steps and your baby will be well on their way to success.

Read to Your Baby

Experts now agree that it is never to early yo start reading to your baby.  Many parents read to their babies in the womb.  They develop this practice during pregnancy and continue on after the baby is born.  If you don't feel up to reading to your swelling baby, you can always start at birth.  It is a good idea to have your favorite books on hand before you have your baby.  The days and weeks after giving birth can be hectic and crazy.  If you plan ahead and have some of your favorite books on hand, you can read to your baby during your cuddling and feeding times, while you both recover.  Parents that don't begin reading to their children until much later are more likely to experience resistance from their babies.  They are more likely to want to grab the book while you are reading and rip the pages.  If you begin at birth, you can successfully teach your child to properly handle books.  You are providing entertainment and a rich language environment for your baby, not to mention creating a love of reading that will last a lifetime. 

http://www.intellbaby.com

Words - The Building Blocks of Literacy

Recent research tells us that the amount of words per hour your baby hears before the age of two will determine their future academic success.  It has been discovered that children who are surrounded by language become strong students.  The gift of words is something that you can begin to give your child immediately from birth.  Talk to your baby about everything.  Read to your baby.  By doing this you are giving your child a solid way to communicate.  You are increasing their vocabulary.  You are the first teacher your child ever has and by speaking to your baby often, you will help to assure their success in life.

At birth your baby is born with about 1 billion brain cells, however there are few connections.  By stimulating your baby you are helping your baby make connections.  Every word you say or read to y our baby will result in your baby's brain growth.  Our words are like food to our baby's brains.  If you do nothing else, talk to your baby and read to your baby.  These two things are the most important factors in your baby's development.