The short answer, of course, is No.
A librarian friend was telling me about how it makes her crazy when she hears people tell her their babies are too young for books or story time.
I see what she means.
* After all, researchers agree that 75% of brain development – emotional and intellectual- happens in the first few years. So, babies actually begin to learn the moment they are born.
*During this time, nerve connections are being made at a rapid pace in baby’s brain. The more a baby is nurtured and stimulated, the more intricate the connections in his brain, thus improving the chances that baby develops to his full potential.
* As mentioned in this Babycenter article, studies show that a baby’s language skills and intelligence are directly related to the number of words he hears every day.
* The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading aloud daily to your baby starting at 6 months of age. But, the fact is, you don’t have to wait. It’s never too early to read to or play with your child. (I know many parents who started when their baby was just days old. I am one of them.)
“But my baby doesn’t seem interested!”
Newborns may not respond to your reading, so it may be difficult to tell if they’re really even listening or benefiting from your efforts. But, you will see that with time, your baby will begin to understand the routine, be curious about the book you’re holding, show interest in the pictures and generally, begin to enjoy reading time. The advantage of starting early(if you want to) is that by the time your baby is 6 months old or ready to observe pictures and register words, she would already be familiar with the books. She would already have a head start and you will actually have to put in very little effort to get her interested in reading with you.
When M was an infant, we lived in a small town. I used to drive her to story time at a book store about 50 miles away every week, since our library did not have a children’s program then. The story time lasted 30 mins, the drive took 45 minutes each way. You might wonder if it was really worth taking all that effort with a 3 month old infant. And I have wondered too.
But here’s why I think it was worth it -
- I picked up useful tips and tricks on reading to my baby from the professional at the book store
- M enjoyed the visual and verbal stimulation. She watched other babies, stared at the picture books, listened to the storyteller and peered curiously as she read. I bet her brain was busy making dozens of connections every time I made the trip.
- We began to form a routine – just the two of us. It became our special Mommy and baby story-time date that I began looking forward to, maybe a wee bit more than her!
- It became a habit. Going to story time and reading events at the library or book stores is something that’s as much a part of our lives as going to the park or shopping. We make time for it, no matter what.
- And because of that, reading, checking out books from the library, returning them once we finish- have all become part of M’s routine too.
So, when you start early, you actually don’t have to work too hard to raise a reader. It just happens.
