Babies
can read. Your baby is reading when they engage with
books and stories, either on their own or when you are reading to
them.
This is reading to a baby and needs
to be a fun part of every day. You are your child's first
teacher. You will strongly influence their success with
reading.
Jamie (20
months) reading at the library Ensure your baby feels successful
as a reader by
recognising that babies can read and are reading at their own level.
Reading with your
baby needs to be a natural and fun experience. It's not about flash
cards and helping them master the alphabet.
Starting these exercises too soon could put your
baby off reading forever! If you immerse your baby in reading
from the time they are born you are helping to ensure they will be
successful readers for life. How? By fostering in
them a 'love' of reading and a want to do so.
Think about your own attitudes towards reading. Do you
believe that babies can read? Are you
someone who reads for pleasure or purely for information?
What were your early reading experiences like?
These will influence and have an impact on the way you
introduce reading to your baby. Research has shown that
babies who are bought up in a house which has books in it and by
parents who read daily in front of them are more likely to be
successful readers.
Babies should be
encouraged to read every day to establish a love for reading. The more
you are reading to your baby,
the more they will grow to love reading and books. You are
giving your baby the greatest gift you can by ensuring they love books
and reading.