Greetings,
Reading is fundamental. It is also an act of love. A great gift you can bestow upon your child is an affinity for reading. Here's why: The time you spend with your child as early as the womb through reading builds connection. Your child is recording your voice in his/her memory prenatally which is very comforting. You're also caring out storytime that has great benefits to your child as she gets older.
Educationally,
- reading teaches babies about communication
- builds memory, vocabulary and listening skills (they're never too young to develop this important skill)
- introduces concepts such as numbers, letters and shapes in an exciting way
- lays the foundation for writing skills
- it opens up the world around them.
Through reading you can take your child on a journey to Paris and Zimbabwe all in one day. And your child may become more alert. When I was pregnant, I was a storyteller for the Orthopedic Institute for Children, in Los Angeles. My service included reading to patients and their siblings as they sat in urgent care. My goal was to keep their mind off their troubles. This was a tough act because I was competing with the televisions in the waiting areas and the children cell phones. Yet they chose me! Maybe because felt warmth or the sense I was carrying a child, either way, they listened attentively to me read the book they selected from my basket. And here's the bonus, the parents were mesmerized by my storytelling and received a chance to escape during such a stressful time.
As I served , It made me realize that I'm a great actress because to hold and retain children's attention among distractions, and to help the parents forget about their worries for a moment meant I connected with an unexpected audience (surprisingly this was actually a turning point for me and help boost me confidence for my one-woman play).
A double bonus for me, is that my baby heard me read a multitude of stories, felt the good vibes and I planted the seeds of servitude. I read Empress 3-5 books every day, some in Spanish. Empress is alert and when I take her to storytime at the library she's poised and eager to hear about a new adventure. And this is how the universe works, we were gifted with more than 100 books for Empress!
Reading is also "natural" entertainment. Before televisions, radios and cell phones, people told stories around the campfire and family gatherings. Families passed down survival skills and traditions through stories. Consider the tradition of storytime in your family, it may become a much needed outlet. You're bonding with your child, you're learning his/her interest and it may even inspire you to write a book. Readers are leaders, so read a book to your child today! Check out the video below.
P.S.I began taking Empress to storytime at the library. Some of the older babies started crawling towards her. And now about one week later, Empress is attempting to crawl. Children are influenced by their environment.
With Love & Light,
Regena
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Four months pregnant on the red carpet at the gala fundraiser for the Orthopedic Institute for Children. At the time,I served as a storyteller for the non-profit.