Reading to Your Baby

Ways to develop your baby’s vocabulary and prepare him for

kindergarten, and develop life-long essential reading skills.
So little time
The road to becoming a reader begins the day your
child is born and continues through the end of third
grade. At that point, your child must be able to read
with ease and understanding to succeed in the 4th
grade and beyond.

Those early years in your child’s life are the most

essential years for reading and writing development!
 Learning to read and write starts at
home, long before children go to
school.
Children learn the sounds of spoken language when
they hear family members talking, laughing, and
singing
They begin to understand written language when hear
adults read stories to them and see adults reading
newspapers, magazines, and books for themselves.
What the research shows
To become skilled and confident readers, babies need
LOTS of opportunities to:

 Listen to adults/parents talk and imitate those sounds

 Children who do not hear a lot of talk or who are not

encouraged to talk often have problems with learning to
read.
Print Awareness
Understand basic standards such as holding books right
side up, reading from the front of the book to the back,
turning one page at a time, reading lines from left to
right

Children who know about print understand that the

words they see in print and the words they speak and
hear are related

Make connections and meanings from billboards,

storybooks, labels, magazines, cereal boxes, etc .
Phonemic Awareness
Research shows that how easily children learn to read
depends on how much phonological and phonemic
awareness they have.

Some words rhyme. Sentences are made up of separate

words. Words have parts called syllables. Bag, ball, and
big all start with the same letter. When a child notices
these things, he is developing phonological awareness.
Alphabetic Knowledge

Children who go to kindergarten already knowing the

shapes and names of the letters of the alphabet, and
how to write them, have a much easier time learning to
read.
Reading Aloud
Reading aloud to children is the SINGLE MOST
IMPORTANT activity for building the knowledge
required for success in reading.

Have children participate actively to help them learn

new words, learn about written language, and see the
connection between word that are spoken and written.

We will discuss this more in – depth in a few minutes.

Vocabulary
Time and again researchers have found strong
connections between the size of children’s
vocabularies, how well they comprehend what they
read, and how well they do in school.

Children who are poor readers usually do not have the

vocabulary knowledge they need to get meaning from
what they read.
 What to do at home

Talk to your baby

Talk to your baby:

Begin talking and singing to your child from birth

Play peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
Recite nursery rhymes and other verses that have
strong rhythms and repeated sounds.
Sing lullabies and other songs.

What songs do you guys sing to your children? What

are their favorite ones to listen to ? Which songs to
they ask you to sing?
Talk to your baby:
Let your baby know that you hear her babbles, coos , and
gurgles.
Repeat the sounds she makes.
Smile back.
When you respond to her sounds, she learns that what she
“says” means something and is important to you, even though
it is unintelligible.

Example: When your baby stretches her arms towards her

bottle and says “ga-ga-ga”, say “Oh, you want some more milk?
Here’s your milk. It’s soooo good, isn’t it! Milk is so good for
you!” (expand on what they “say”)
Talk to your baby:
Play simple talking and touching games
Point out the names of different parts of the body

Example: Ask “Where are your toes?” Then touch your

child’s toes and say “Here are your toes!” Repeat several
times, then switch to fingers, ears, eyes, nose, etc.
Talk to your baby:
Point to familiar objects and name them.
When a child hears an object called the same name
over and over, he learns to connect the spoke word
with its meaning.

Example: “Here’s your blanket. This is your favorite

blanket. It’s such a soft, warm, blanket. You love your
blanket.”
Talk to your baby:
When your child begins to speak, build his language.

A child starts talking by using single words and short

sentences. You can help by filling in missing words and
using complete sentences.

Example: child says “cookie”. Mom says “Oh, you want

another cookie? Ok, you can have just one more cookie”.
Child says “go car”. Parent says “Yes, we’re all going to the
car. But first, you have to put on your coat.”
Talk to your baby:
Encourage your child to talk with you

Ask questions that show you’re interested in what she says and
thinks.
Ask her questions that require her to talk, rather than just give
you yes and no answers.
Listen carefully to what she says.

Examples: “What do you want to do?” What do you see flying in

the sky?” “What do you want to eat for breakfast?” (Teach them
specific names for specific foods so they can respond with those
new words (pancakes, Kix, orange, banana, etc.)
Talk to your baby:
Answer your child’s questions.

Listen to your child’s questions and answer them

patiently.
Take time to explain things to him as completely as
you can.
Keep answering questions that your child asks again
and again, because children learn from hearing things
over and over and over.
Talk to your baby:
Show no shame!

Don’t postpone the conversation and lose valuable

learning time by waiting until your baby is able to
respond.

If you get funny looks for talking to your 2-month old
as you stroll through the grocery store, big deal! Talk
about anything and everything to them!
Talk to your baby:
Speak slowly, clearly, loud enough, and enunciate.
Raise your pitch slightly – babies love it!

Talk about what you’re doing as you move through the

day . Identify common objects over and over again.

Repetition equals remembrance.

Use a lot of inflection in your voice to keep it

interesting.
Talk to your baby:
Maintain a positive, upbeat tone so baby associates
speaking with calm and happy feelings.

Use short, simple phrases. Talk about objects he can

see so that it means more to him than describing
intangible concepts.

Be demonstrative. Use exaggerated facial expressions

and gestures to hold baby’s interest and convey
meaning.
Talk to your baby:
Baby loves the sound of your voice!

Narrate everything. Research shows that kids benefit

most when parents use about 30,000 words per day
while around their child.

For comparison, most adults utter 16,000 words daily.

You have to make the mental effort and reminders to

constantly talk/narrate things to your baby.
Talk to your baby:
For example: “Let’s give you a bath. First we have to
make the water the right temperature. Let me grab
your toys, soap and towel. Does the water feel good?
Let’s pour some shampoo in your hair. Let’s wash your
belly.”

Talk about anything and everything you do with your

baby! Don’t feel ridiculous having a one-sided
conversation with your baby when they are young. Your
words matter. Even hearing your inflection and tone of
voice are important for language development.
Talk to your baby:
Keep the focus on what is in front of him right now,
rather than mentioning something out of context. For
example, say “You’re playing with a ball. That’s a red
and bouncy ball! Look at how you can squish the ball.”
Don’t say “This weekend we’re going to go to grandma’s
house.”

Make eye contact with your baby when talking to him.

Get down on his level and look him in the eye.

Talk to your baby:
Ditch the baby talk.

Instead of repeating quasi-words like “ba-ba”, respond

back to her with “Here is your bottle.”

Ineffective: “Hi, my widdle oochy-gooch-smoochie-

woochie. Does poopsy wanna toyzie-woyzie?”
Talk to your baby:
Skip infantainment. TV is not an effective tutor.

A study of more than 800 children in the Journal of

Pediatrics found that watching TV has a negative
impact: Babies who spend more time parked in front
of the tube, no matter what they’re watching, have
fewer language skills at age 3.

A recent Pediatrics study found that DVDs that claim

to promote language development have no benefit.
Is TV really that bad?
Children learn b y interacting with you and their
environment, and television is completely passive.

In 1970, the average age at which kids started watching TV

was 4 yrs. Today, it’s 4 months.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO TV

before age 2, and no more than 2 hours afterwards.

74% of infants and toddlers watch TV before the age of

two.
Is TV really that bad?
Researchers at the University of Washington discovered
that for every hour per day spent watching educational
baby DVDs and videos, infants 8 to 16 months
understood an average of 6 to 8 fewer words than infants
who did not watch them.

32% of kids 6 and under live in homes where the TV is on

most of the time.

43% of children under age 2 watch TV every day. 18%

watch videos or DVDs every day.
Is TV really that bad?
What can you do ?

Don’t expect those “educational” DVDs to teach your

baby (under 2) anything.

Telling your baby about the laundry you’re folding is

much more educational than any video that
supposedly boosts his intellect. Real world experience
and in-context talking is how babies learn.
Is TV really that bad?
Don’t feed your kids in front of the TV.

Researchers believe the food marketing found in

commercials leads to childhood obesity.

Eating while watching TV can interfere with a child’s

ability to respond to cues of fullness, potentially
causing him to overeat.

Research shows kids eat more while the TV is on.

Is TV really that bad?
Don’t let them watch commercials.

DVR or DVDs are better than TV shows with commercials.

The way commercials interrupt programs makes it hard for

babies to follow a story line. The part of the brain that
retains short-term information isn’t developed in kids, so
kids see each commercial as a whole new story, and forget
the program. This is also an early contributor to disorders
such as ADD. They are trained to have their attention
disrupted every 30 seconds for a different commercial.
Is TV really that bad?
DO turn the TV off when the show is over.

Kids 2 and over should have exposure to no more than

2 hours of TV a day.

Even having the TV on in the background counts.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts found
that background TV shortened the intervals that kids
would play with toys, and it made imaginative play less
likely.
Is TV really that bad?
DO choose programming carefully.

For kids 2 or 3 and beyond, choose programming that

has straight-line storytelling, which takes the kids
from point A to point B with no flashbacks.

Choose programs with participation, such as pauses

built into the show where kids can respond to a
question.
Is TV really that bad?
Chose shows with labeling, which means whatever is
being discussed is visually present on the screen.

Chose shows with engagement: characters and ideas

should be interesting to the child.

Chose shows with repetition and review

Chose nonviolent content.

Is TV really that bad?
DO watch TV with your kids.

Having social time with people who love them is vital

for kids’ development.

Add some context, describe what you see, and ask

their thoughts. Point out new vocabulary words and
objects. Talk to your kids throughout the program to
make it more educational.
Bring out the books!
It’s never to early to start reading to your child!

The more you read to him, the more his vocabulary

will grow.

Reading to your baby will help you reach your daily

word goal.

It will expose him to words we don’t use in every day

language.
Bring out the books!
Reading at bedtime is a wonderful way to relax and bond.

Daytime storytelling is also a great idea, because they are

more alert and better able to absorb new words and
information.

Make reading a pleasure. Read in a comfortable place.

Have a designated “reading chair.” Have her sit on your
lap or next to you so she can see and point to the
pictures.
Bring out the books!
Show enthusiasm when you read to your child! Read
the story with expression!

Talk in voices the characters would use.

Make sound effects.

Make expressions with your face and hands.

Bring out the books!
Read to your child often! Try 2 or 3 times a day, for 5-10
minutes each time.

Talk with your child as you read together. Comment

about what is happening in the story. You don’t have to
read every word on every page. Summarize pages for
younger children.

When you child is ready, have him tell you about the
pictures he sees and what’s happening.
Bring out the books!
Encourage your child to explore books. Give your baby
sturdy books to look at, touch, and hold. Allow her to
turn the pages, lift the flaps, look through the holes.

Keep books on low shelves or in baskets where he can see

them and get them out for himself. (yes, it’s a headache
to always clean them up , but it’s worth it in the long
run!)

Praise and encourage your child for “pretend” reading a

book, even before they know the words or storyline.
Bring out the books!
Read favorite books again, and again, and again. You
might get tired of them, but children love hearing the
same stories over and over.

It helps them to learn by hearing familiar words repeated

and seeing what they look like in print.

Keep a plethora of books accessible to your baby! Go to

garage sales and “bulk buy” stacks of children’s books for
cheap, cheap! Keep a low, secured, accessible, FULL book
shelf for your baby.
 Homework Assignment:
Have a family member take a short video of you
reading to your child. Demonstrate some of these
“BEST PRACTICES” we have discussed today in your
video.

You will bring it in to Mrs. Flynt, and I will upload it to

my computer . I will upload the best examples to the
library website. I will tell Ms. Hemmingway those
students who completed the assignment and those
who didn’t. DUE DATE IS MARCH 31st!
Works Referenced:
Pregnancy and Newborn, March 2010, p. 74-76
American Baby, September 2010, p. 66-70
American Baby, February 2009, p. 69-74