Why Do We need To Read To Our Newborn?

Newborn. They are so new that they don’t even understand anything. And, so why read to them? And even in a completely unfamiliar language like Mandarin?

Let us tell you why.

Soothing & Bonding

Hearing is of the first few senses the infant starts to develop at the early stage. The voice of you reading actually soothes him/her (especially when the same voices talk to him when he was still in the mummy’s womb) and create parent-child bonding.

Rhythm, Tones & Emotion

Though the baby might not understand what you are saying, he learns to pick up the rhythm, tone and volume of the reading voice. Rhythm and tones in fact are the keys we use in talking to convey emotions. Thus, exposing them through reading, or even singing of songs and poems helps them in their communication later on.

Know More Words

Babies learn to absorb information before way before they start releasing one. Someone has to repeatedly expose him to ‘mama’ or ‘papa’ before they will ever blurt either one out. Studies report that children who are exposed to reading during their newborn time know more vocabulary than those who are not.

Exposure To Graphic & Illustration

Like what we have discussed previously on the type of books for newborn to 1 year old, choosing a book with big, bright and distinctive illustration is essential. It helps the baby to focus on the book and gain exposure to colors, patterns and shapes, etc.

Familiarity

Start them off early with a baby-friendly teether and cloth books so they can get familiar with the idea of reading and books. This will eventually cultivate their love for reading and integrates them into proper reading at a later age.

It's never too late to start reading, it's never too early as well. Expose our little ones to books and reading not to kickstart them super early for school but instead let them find the beauty in books and cultivate their interest in reading. Let reading be enjoyable and so is learning of Mandarin.

Last Updated: 6th May 2020
Image Credit: Unsplash

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