Children of all ages can benefit from reading

Parents and pediatricians across the nation continue to stress the importance of reading to children of all ages. This can be difficult during the digital era, but parents who start reading to their children early will encourage lifelong readers.

It’s never too early to start reading to your child, according to Andre Smiljic, MD, a pediatrician at the Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center. Even babies benefit from hearing stories. National Reading Month, which is celebrated every March, recently honored the birth of children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss).

“Reading with your newborn baby can be a wonderful bonding activity, and it has been shown to have positive effects on future development,” Smiljic explained. “Newborns tend to respond to sound much more than visual stimuli in the first months of life, so reading can be an excellent way to stimulate their brain. Infants will start to pick up on the sounds and intonations that a parent makes while reading, which will jumpstart their own language development and social skills.”

Smiljic suggests making reading a normal part of the family routine. He also advises setting limits to screen time, or even avoiding screen time during the first two years of life. Kaiser Permanente Northern California participates in the Reach Out and Read program, providing age-appropriate books during well-check visits for children ages 6 months to 5 years old.

“Make reading fun,” he added. “When you read a story with your children, make it as interactive as possible. Use gestures, funny or dramatic voices, or let them help you turn the pages. With older children, ask them questions such as, ‘What do you think will happen next?’ or how they feel about a particular character. Once children start to associate reading with enjoyment, they’ll want to read more and more.”

Does the doctor have a favorite children’s book?

“There are so many good books,” he said, “but my personal favorite is ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.’ The illustrations are also silly and playful. Kids find it very funny, and it’s a good lesson of cause and effect.”