Never To Early To Read To Your Child

By Sara Dimerman

At one time or another, your school-aged child should have come home with a booklet written by Ben Wicks, entitled Born to Read. It's one of the most succinct, clearly written pieces I have read about reading to one's child. The bottom line: Children need to be read to, not just when they're at an age to comprehend what they're hearing, but way before that.

Children can be read to from the moment they are born. Often, a newborn receives the benefits of hearing you read as you read aloud to an older sibling.

It's important to remember that being read to is not just about increasing vocabulary. Reading to your child can be a fun, bonding experience. An opportunity to act out dialogue, to entertain, to experience the magic of being transported to a faraway land.

Children need not be read everything on a page. If your child appears bored, you might just point to the pictures, label the objects and talk about them. Follow your child's lead - if he or she wriggles off your lap within seconds, don't assume that he's too young to be read to - try to find books that will appeal to him or imaginative ways of reading books you already have.

While it's important to teach children respect for books, there are so many books available that will appeal to children's sense of curiosity - books that have flaps and folds and pop-ups galore. A friend of mine has made a point of buying relatively inexpensive pop up and fold out books for her one-year-old to explore. While she models respect for books, she has established an environment where her child is encouraged to explore the books, even at the risk of having them torn. It's uncanny this young child's love of books - she prefers them to anything in the world - except of course, mommy!!

Talking of role modeling. Don't expect that your child will be interested in reading, books or magazines if you're not.

Whilst reading, I remember once being asked by my then three-year-old daughter what I was doing. Although I thought the answer quite obvious, she was surprised by my response. "But how can you be reading?" she asked. "You're not saying anything." She learnt something new that day, as did I.