Reading to You Kids – Benefit Number Two is boosting biological brain power.

 

By Eileen Brown

 

The study we are reporting on today was completed just over a year ago but is such an important part of understanding that reading to kids at an early age, even when the child is still considered a baby, will have a biological effect on their cognitive and learning abilities that it is relevant to pass along this information now and into the future.

 

Activating an important part of a child’s brain.

A brain scan study from 2015 relates that reading to babies (or very young children) often activates the part of the brain that allows understanding the meaning of language, mental imagery and narrative.

 

The study, published August 10, 2015 in Pediatrics, looked at the brains of 3 to 5 years old children utilizing MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) in order to see how their brains responded when faced with different types of stimulation. While a recording of a woman reading stories played (and other recordings of background noise), factual, scientific proof has now been provided, that reading to babies has an impact that earlier studies, through observation, were correct in their assertions.

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics, (the publisher of Pediatrics) has long been an advocate of the importance of reading at home throughout infancy and early childhood. Their argument has been that it can and does improve language skills, fosters literacy development and helps with other less tangible qualities. “Parents who spend time and effort reading to their children do create nurturing relationships, which is important for a child’s cognitive, language and socio-emotional development,” the AAP has stated.

 

 

Priming Developing Brains

The study further shows that while it was thought, through empirical studies that very early “reading to babies” or “reading to children of a very early age” gave children a definite advantage, we now have proof of biological changes to brain function.

 

The research team also gathered information about the children’s home “reading of stories” environment by querying things like how frequently the parents read to the child and if the reading materials they were exposed to were an assortment (variety) of books.

 

The MRI studies revealed that children from more stimulating home reading environments had greater activity in the parts of the brain that aid in narrative comprehension and visual representation of imagery. The children’s brains showed greater activity in those key areas while they listened to the stories being read.

 

Director of the division of general and community pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Dr Thomas DeWitt stated “This is a small and very early study, but the exciting thing it was able to demonstrate is that early reading does have an impact on the parts of the brain that are fundamental for developing literacy early on,” DeWitt said. “It’s biological evidence that transcends empirical studies.”

 

“For parents, it adds credence to the idea of reading with kids,” says study author John S. Hutton, a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. “Getting a peek into the brain, there seems to be some differences there that are pretty exciting.”

 

The Positive Effects of Reading To Young Children

The study adds to past research showing that reading has many positive effects on young children. Like teaching the rules of syntax, expanding children’s vocabulary and helping children bond with their parents, Hutton says. But the new study is among the first to add real understanding of what actually happens to young brains.

 

Something that many parents fundamentally understood: It can only be a good thing to read stories to babies and young children. Now there is hard evidence of the biological benefits of reading to kids.

 

Science has now proven that reading to kids does change their brains – for the better.

 

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Eileen Brown is a web developer, web consultant and content writer. She has written hundreds of articles across the web for software development companies, software distributors and articles for a wide variety of industries on the web.  She is the editor at Biz News Buddy.  As an avid reader, a mother and grand-mother, reading and parenting has been a life long interest.

 

Find her at Buddy Web Services or Biz News Buddy.

Reading to your Kids – Benefit Number One is —
Building a stronger relationship with your child or children.

By Eileen Brown

 

Remember when your child was a baby? All that cuddling you enjoyed when your child was very young does not have to go away. Those feelings are just a “positive storybook” away.
Reading to Kids brings them closer to you in many ways.

As any child grows older they will be on the move, moving forward with their lives and away from their cuddling relationship with you. They will be on the move in many ways; running, playing and constantly stumbling upon new experiences. Exploring the world around them is a big part of growing older. But they do not have to actually “grow away” from you.

 

You can bring those feelings of closeness to bear with one of the most nurturing activites to be had – reading to your child.

 

Snuggling up with a book or two with your young child becomes a very special time when the stories come alive for them that YOU present. It is never a chore to light up their lives and it is time very well spent. Reading to your child will bring you closer to them. Just watch the wonder in their eyes! A whole new world can be opened up to them, and guess what? You will be responsible for helping them widen the horizons in which they live.

 

Every moment you spend reading to your child enriches the parent-child relationship.

 

It will also help build a wide and varied vocabulary. You will teach them about complex aspects of life when they are engaged in stories with positive themes that can be more mature in nature than what they encounter in life. Issues can be confronted through reading a story instead of a child having to confront scary issues. When you relate stories that teach lessons about relationships they will be in a “safe place” with you and can discuss the scary concerns easily.

 

Some of the best moments you will have with your child will come through sharing your time by reading stories. When you really teach them about “how to solve a problem” within the context of the story you are reading, you will be helping your child gain skills to lead a happier and healthier life.

 

Schedule reading time as often as possible!

 

Once a day is good. And don’t worry if you miss a day, just make sure reading to your child is ‘on’ for the next day. Make this activity the most important one in your day. Once you start letting it be known how important this is to you, your child will learn a very great lesson: that reading is worthwhile!

 

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Eileen Brown is a web developer, web consultant and content writer. She has written hundreds of articles across the web for software development companies, software distributors and articles for a wide variety of industries on the web.  As an avid reader, a mother and grand-mother, reading and parenting has been a life long interest.  Find her at Buddy Web Services or Biz News Buddy.

Kids EBooks at Kid Book World Presents Author Ken Bossone

Ken Bossone – President of the World Positive Thinkers Club.

Ken Bossone —

• President of the World Positive Thinkers Club
• Published Author.
• Has written a series of “Positive Input Children’s Books” published at multiple website on the web and available at Amazon for Kindle.
• Has written articles for various magazines including Executive Excellence, Personal Excellence, and KandeeG. magazine.
• Also a financial advisor with a flair for creating and evaluating business plans.
• A faculty member of the presitgious Masters Seminar Program.
• Former Director of Sales for ISCure.com
• Former Director of sales and training for ATD.
• Author of 7 EBooks for Kids presented across the Web!