1. Reading to Your Child: The Important Facts You May Not Know Presentation by Mr. Tuson

2.  Reading aloud is brain stimulation. The more stimulation the brain gets, the faster it develops.  Reading aloud is far better for your child than television  Family time!  Expand your child’s vocabulary, exposure to the world around them and increase their IQ  Early development of listening skills  Your Child can learn to read by you reading to them  It’s FUN! Why Read Aloud?

3.  If all parents read at least 3 stories aloud to their kids a day, illiteracy could be wiped out in only one generation! (Fox, 12) Did you know?

4.  When a baby is born, only about 25% of its brain is developed at the time.  The next 75% is developed in early life and through stimulation (such as reading)  By age 1, children know all the sounds that make up spoken language How the Brain Develops (Fox, 13-14)

5.  Justin was introduced to books at 6 days old  By the time he was 3 months old, he already knew his favorite books and could even turn the pages of books on cue.  By 6 months old, he could recognize specific books by pointing at them when hearing the title  By 21 Months, Justin was speaking over 500 words and could sight-read over 20.  Moral of the story: Introduce books to your kids as soon as possible, and read to them often! Case Study: A Boy Named Justin (Fox, 75-77)

6.  As soon as possible!  Start reading to your child as soon as they are born  If you haven’t read much to your child, start as soon as you get home!  Establishing the “norms” of reading is extremely important When should I start?

7.  Reading is an art form, to instill a love of reading into your children, be entertaining  Use different tones and noise levels while reading  Use pauses  Drag out the last line  Let your children touch the books and interact with them. Let them turn the pages when they start understanding when they should do so.  Encourage your child to interact with the topic of the book and positively encourage them along the way Reading: The Art

8.  There is nothing that can go wrong when you read to your child, but the benefits are amazing and are not to be ignored!  Grab a book and start your child on the road to the wonders of reading! What are you waiting for?

9.  Fox, M. (2001). Reading magic: Why reading aloud to our children will change their lives forever. New York: Harcourt. Bibliography