At what age should you start reading to your children?

I was asked that question the other day, and without hesitation I replied, ‘around 5 months into pregnancy.’ Take turns, as it is incredibly important for your fetus to hear the soothing voices of both parents. Rub her belly and bond with your baby during pregnancy.

Read to him every time you lay him to bed for a nap or bedtime, and at 6 months of age introduce short, simple stories with colorful, bold illustrations, such as board books. Your baby may begin to explore books by looking, touching (opening/closing), and mouthing them. By 9 months of age, you will realize that he may prefer or seem to recognize certain stories or pictures.

When you do this, you invest into your baby’s healthy brain development, and the bonding will pay off throughout childhood, his teenage years and long into adulthood.

Reading to your child is the single most important interaction with him, as so much more grows out of that experience. It nurtures and curates empathy, the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Babies who have been read to develop a much stronger emotional connection to their parents and other loved one. They grow up calmer, cope with stress better, enjoy better, deeper sleep and develop a lifelong love for reading.

Children who read have better listening and language skills, a larger vocabulary and there fore have a richer life and more opportunities.

Follow my hashtag #ReadToKids on social media.