It’s never too early to start reading

Every parent wants to give their child the best start they can, and reading with your toddler is one of the best ways to give them a leg up. Starting early – even before baby might seem ready for reading – opens your child to a world of curiosity and learning. Beyond literacy, reading with your child comes with many benefits you might not even expect.

Benefits of reading:

  • Developing language. Your child learns by being shown new things and repeating them. Reading a book introduces them to new words, and re-reading a favorite story helps make them familiar. You’re also showing your toddler how words work together to make sentences. And just by reading to them, you’re growing their vocabulary. Kids get exposed to at least 290,000 more words from one book per day than non-readers. That number jumps to 1.4 million when they’ve been read five books daily.1
  • Teaching facts. Books are sources of information, even for young readers. Books teach children about the world around them. Books can be a way to learn about animals, vehicles, people and more.
  • Modeling emotions and building empathy. Reading a story lets your child imagine what someone else feels. That helps build emotional skills. Seeing how a character reacts to big feelings shows how to deal with them. Through stories, children can learn about new characters and ideas that expand their understanding of the world.
  • Bonding with them. Reading together is a way to connect with your child. Story time is a calming activity that shows you care. The warmth and closeness of these shared moments will strengthen your bond and their security.

Reading is a great way to teach your child a number of skills without it feeling like a lesson. Starting as early as possible will help their development and prepare them for their school years to come. As they get older, let them help choose the books you read as their interests and preferences develop. Enjoying stories together early is a great way to give your little one a big head start on learning.


1 https://ehe.osu.edu/news/listing/importance-reading-kids-daily-0
2 https://childmind.org/article/why-is-it-important-to-read-to-your-child/