By Pam Vukelic

We are all familiar with Dr. Seuss’s comments on reading, with perhaps the most familiar being:

“The more that you read,

The more things that you’ll know.

The more that you learn,

The more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Seuss

These words of wisdom apply to children as well as adults. The value of reading aloud to children has been well-researched and the evidence is compelling. Perhaps less well-known, but equally important, is the value of reading to infants and even to babies before they are born.

I’ve read that a great deal of brain development occurs during the first three years of life. What a missed opportunity it is if we don’t make reading a habit during those first few years. Children who are read to become better readers. Waiting for the school years, for the teachers to do it, is waiting too long.

Since 2004, pediatricians have made a concerted effort to encourage new parents to read to their children to foster early learning and create connections in the brain that promote language development. In their document titled “Why It Is Never Too Early to Read With Your Baby” they list these tips:

• Cuddle up and read with emotion. Babies are happiest in your arms and older children appreciate the one-on-one attention.
• Choose colorful and sturdy books. Our eight-month-old granddaughter ditches her pacifier to chew on the flaps in lift-and-learn books. Her current favorite is Toes, Ears, & Nose!
• Plan a special reading time. Give your baby something to handle while you read to help lengthen her attention span.
• Read together every day. Make it a ritual. Let the child choose and be prepared for repetition.
• Make time to talk about feelings. This provides avenues for children to talk about their own reactions.
• Ask questions as you read. With older children encourage them to make predictions before you turn the page.
• Keep reading together, even when your child can read. “A child who reads will be an adult who thinks.”

Despite several programs dedicated to promoting reading and much shared research about the value of reading, not all of the children in our country are read to daily. The numbers, however, are increasing.

It’s free. It’s easy. It’s fun. It’s worth making the time to do.

It’s also a wonderful activity for grandparents to engage in with the grandchildren. A neighbor has a cabinet full of children’s books upstairs though the original users have been gone for years! How fun for the grandchildren to find mommy’s or daddy’s favorite childhood book, perhaps with some crayon or teeth markings to make them personal.

I was recently sorting books upstairs, going through the books I used to keep in my Child Development classroom at Bismarck High School and our own children’s books. Although some have been slowly drifting to new homes, many remain, all the better to entertain wee ones who come for a visit. The old-time favorites like The Little Engine that Could, Curious George, Madeline, and Hooway for Wodney Wat are still good stories. I remember being enthralled with Pollyanna, The Boxcar Children, and Nancy Drew books when I was young; now we have the American Girl books and The Babysitters Club books on the shelves. I recently mailed one of Giada de Laurentiis’s cooking adventure books to our grand-niece in New Jersey. I hope it arrives before she goes to cooking camp.

Jim Trelease, a well-known read-aloud advocate, has written several books devoted to reading aloud and to providing extensive categorized listings of books. Emma Walton Hamilton, in Raising Bookworms, also provides excellent lists and great support for the read-aloud movement. She and her mom, Julie Andrews, have a series of books about Dumpy, the cast-off dump truck who gets another chance.

Consider registering your child with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a program supported by our local United Way. Once your little one is registered, she will receive a book in the mail each month. Don’t hesitate to check out the local thrift stores for inexpensive books. I recently found like-new books, even some classics, for $.99 apiece. Garage sales are another great source of inexpensive books that previous owners have outgrown.

In our community, there are numerous story times at the Veterans Memorial Public Library, even for babies, with Miss Sparkles. Watch for announcements regarding story time, beginning this fall, in the attic at the Former Governors’ Mansion.  Expect to hear older stories (1800s to 1960) and maybe even see some rarely shown cartoons.

You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.

Dr. Seuss  

Pam Vukelic is an online FACS (Family and Consumer Sciences) instructor for the Missouri River Educational Consortium. As Grandma to Connor, Elvin, and Claire, she is familiar with the values and joys of reading to children! Pam splits her time between Bismarck and The Villages in Florida.