Once upon a time every child fell asleep to the comforting and soothing sound of a parent reading to him. Story time is precious time spent with a young child- quality time that is worth its weight in gold. But is this still relevant in today’s technological age?

We all want our children to have the best start in life, and yes, reading and books are still vital to their development. Reading aloud develops 3 vital pre-reading skills- phonological or sound awareness, general knowledge and a rich vocabulary . If you read to your child as often as possible, he will develop these skills naturally.

Reading is the foundation for everything your child will learn at school. If a child enjoys reading, and has good reading, comprehension and memory skills, he will be able to make the most of the learning material presented to him at school. Even if this learning material is on an ipad, (or something similar) in the future, your child will still need good reading, concentration and memory skills.

When do you start reading to your child? It is never too early- if you have the energy, you can start the day he is born! In fact, you can start before he is born, by making a small collection of books a central part of his bedroom, so that you are well prepared to make reading a regular part of your daily routine.

Learning to read is not something that starts at school- it begins from the moment of birth, when a baby starts tuning into the sounds and rhythm of spoken language. Reading aloud to young children plays a vital role in acquiring language and vocabulary. So talk to your newborn, and if you run out of things to say, then read to him, or sing to him. It is also a wonderful and relaxing way to bond.

By the way, watching TV is no substitute for reading and books- time spent in front of a TV should be kept to a bare minimum for tots.

As Jacquiline Kennedy Onassis said: “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” In the following blogs, I will continue with the subject of books and reading with your baby, toddler, and pre-school child.