Raising a baby adds a whole new level of busyness to parents’ lives. With so little time, what are the most important things to do? One of the best gifts parents can give their children, starting when they are babies, is read to them. It’s a sure-fire way to help get a new little human off on the right foot. For book lovers, reading to the baby isn’t even a question—it’s a given. The following are among the benefits of reading out loud to your baby and continuing all through childhood.

Stimulates the Brain

Of course, you want your child to have all the advantages in life possible, including being smart enough to excel in school. When you read aloud to your child, you are starting them off with a brain that gets good exercise. Reading to babies stimulates cognitive thinking skills and language skills and also enhances memory. At the same time, a child is receiving encouragement to be curious and explore his little world.

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), among the 15-year-olds across the world who made the highest scores on the PISA exam, the number one influencing factor was whether or not books were regularly read aloud to them in the young years.

Considering that a child’s brain is 90% developed by the age of 5, you can see that reading should start at newborn stage. Your touch, voice, actions, and all of your words help your child learn.

Builds a Child’s Vocabulary

Children who grow up being read to and reading have a much greater vocabulary than other kids. Reading an average children’s book exposes kids to 50 percent more unique words than a normal conversation between a couple of educated adults or a television show.

Even though babies can’t yet speak or comprehend the story lines of books, they find comfort in hearing parents read. Eventually, the child will discover meaning in the words. A child’s vocabulary at the age of 3 is much greater if parents use more words when speaking to an 8-month-old infant and older.

Stronger Bonding

Bonding is very important for parents and their babies. Reading aloud is a wonderful way to bond. You are helping your child develop language and communication skills. Reading provides children with a greater understanding of the world around them, providing context to their own experiences.

Helps with School Readiness

Reading aloud gives children the discipline of listening and focusing. This is ideal preparation for school. In addition, reading to little ones promotes language development and literacy. Your child will be ahead of the curve when it comes to moving from learning to read to reading to learn.

Books to Read to your Children

Don’t know what books to buy and read to your baby? Here are a few highly recommended books:

• Goodnight Moon
• Are You My Mother?
• Corduroy
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
• Pat the Bunny

What books to you like reading to your children?

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