Have you ever thought about the emotional benefits you can receive from taking a minute out of your day to sit down and read aloud to your "baby bump"? It might sound silly, but there are many reasons to try it. Emotional Benefits Reading gives you an excuse to put your feet up—a welcome … [Read more...]
Emotional Rewards of Reading to Your Child: 5 Years Old
As your 5-year-old is most likely thinking about starting school, reading can be an emotionally rewarding way to reconnect for both parent and child: As your child starts school, she will be exposed to reading in a more academic way. But keeping it personal and fun at home is important. In … [Read more...]
Emotional Rewards of Reading to a Preschooler
At 4, your child is mostly likely beginning to recognize letters and their sounds. If you want to foster the emotional rewards of reading in your child, be sure your child has access to a home library of books that you read together. It helps children start to view themselves as readers, which … [Read more...]
Emotional Benefits of Reading Aloud: Age 3
All those years of reading to your child as a baby and toddler should be really paying off! At 3, you may start to notice that the emotional benefits of reading aloud are beginning to change with your child's development. Reading aloud together not only help your child grow to love reading, but it … [Read more...]
Emotional Rewards of Reading Aloud: 2 Years Old
Your child is now two—or as some have referred to it: the "terrible twos." But don't despair! As with every stage in child development, each offers something exciting and new. And (just like your little one) each stage can be wonderful and amazing in its own way. The emotional rewards of reading … [Read more...]
Emotional Rewards of Reading to Your Baby: 6—12 Months
As your baby goes from being stationary to becoming more mobile and alert, reading aloud offers significant emotional benefits to your child. Reading gives your little crawler, cruiser, or walker an excuse to rest and cuddle at different points in the day. This can help your child come to regard … [Read more...]
Emotional Rewards of Reading to Your Baby from Birth
Reading to your baby right from birth can have profound emotional benefits for your little one. And it's never too early to start. Babies thrive on routine and habit. It’s a perfect time to introduce reading as a habitual activity. Helps associate stories with bedtime or naptime, so sharing a … [Read more...]
Using Facial Expressions in Reading to Help Your Child Learn About Emotions
Reading out loud to your child should be fun for both of you! The more personality and drama you can put into your reading, the more entertaining it will be—and the more your child can learn. This is especially true in helping your child learn about emotions. You can help your child develop in this … [Read more...]
Bonding Time: Creating a Cozy Reading Nook Checklist
You don’t need every item on this checklist to create a cozy reading nook for you and your child, but the key ingredients are here! Choose a good space. A corner away from the action is best for any reading nook. Good lighting is key! A window is great, but lights your child can turn on and off … [Read more...]
Reading Milestones: What to Expect at Different Ages
While every child is unique and develops at his or her own pace, there are specific reading milestones that can be helpful for parents to keep in mind as their child grows. And if you have a baby, you're not off the hook. A strong foundation of speech and language development in the early years can … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Make Favorite Books Stand Out
My Story My wife had this idea for our wedding. First, we scoured the city and bought 100 or so copies of our favorite books. Then, we embossed them with the words "Dan and Andrea's Wedding" and used them as centerpieces at the tables. At the end of the festivities, guests each left with a copy of … [Read more...]
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?
There is no single list of things your child should be able to do before entering kindergarten. And as long as your child meets the age and residency requirements, American public schools must accept your enrollment. Most children will not have already mastered every item in this quiz before … [Read more...]
Bonding Through Books: One Thing All Babies (and Moms) Need
The other day, my 9-year-old son asked me who the original writer was of the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. He wanted to know if there was a real woman long ago who had the unfortunate luck to marry a man named Mr. Goose. Perhaps she had birthed many children and lived in a house so small it felt, and … [Read more...]
Reading Milestones: What Your Preschooler Should Know
Preschoolers are busy learning and growing at an incredible pace every day. You’re probably noticing big changes in your little one’s speech—kids this age often have a deeper understanding of their world than we think. (And, of course, at other times they make hilarious mistakes with words and … [Read more...]
7 Reading Skills to Help Your Child Become a Better Reader
If you want your child to get a head start in school, here are the 7 reading skills all good readers need to have and how your child can develop them. Predicting Take a page out of the reality TV playbook and make your own cliffhangers during read-aloud time. During an especially exciting … [Read more...]