Brit Writers Blog - How early should you read to your baby? By Rumki Chowdhury

As soon as I got pregnant, I began researching on ways to make my baby intelligent from the womb! I know it's a bit obsessive, but it's no less than those pregnant mothers who believe that Mozart's genius compositions will do wonders for the baby. Of course  babies don't come out super smart or prodigies; we have to work toward that. 

So what did I do?

I used to watch 'Barney' and sing 'ABC' while my daughter was in my tummy. Research shows that babies are already familiar with common sounds and the voices of their parents from the womb. I'm crazy as 'Psychology Today (www.psychologytoday.com) concurs. 

In fact, in an article, 'Can Babies Really Read; What Parents Should Know' by J. Richard Gentry, children should be read to as soon as they are born! I read to my baby, but not as often as I do now. Of course, she can respond much better to the images and words in a book at 8-months-old than before. This is because her 'coos' and 'cahs' have begun and she is a lot more active and awake nowadays.

I read at least one book a day, making sure the book is simple with lots of colourful images. I point to the pictures and let her know what kind of picture it is, for example... 'that's a baby, that's a boy and that's a girl.' I read both Swedish and English books to her. I'm hoping she can learn both.

According to Gentry's studies, a baby can hear over ten million words each year in the first three years of life, amounting to 32 million words. Then, by the age of six, his or her vocabulary will be about 16,000 words: 'By eight years of age, your child will be more intelligent, and have better grades in reading, writing, and spelling.' 

How does one read to one's child? With love and care, Gentry writes.

It's a good thing I already do this or so I like to think. I curl up under the covers with my baby and read out loud to her, pointing to the pictures and making conversation as I go along. It helps us connect and she enjoys the time. Also, I make action sounds like whistling when we come to an image of a bird or meowing when we come to an image of a cat. I also point to the objects while doing this. That just makes it like some exciting adventure for her. 

Another way to help a child learn to read is labeling simple day-to-day objects in the bedroom help children. I plan on doing this eventually. 

Now, she's used to looking up at the bookshelf at least once-a-day, hinting to me that it's time to read to her before she takes her nap.

Gentry said, 'I've seen early starters sound new words such as red, /r/-/ĕ/-/d/, red, before their third birthday. After their fourth birthday they can create a grocery list with spellings such as MIK, CHIKN, APPLS, PERS, LEDIS and COLEFLOWR. Use affirmations but don't make corrections or use force. Have fun!'

So, I guess the point is every baby has his or her own pace; our job is to encourage, not to force them to be 'intelligent.' We should be proud of them as they are and keep trying our best as parents. Have fun reading!

by Rumki Chowdhry

Brit Writers
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