Parents are often encouraged to read to their children, but the conversation is usually centered around toddlers and preschool-aged children. However, research suggests that reading aloud to infants in the first year of life has a measurable and meaningful benefit long before language is outwardly visible. 

Infants starting at 2 weeks old in this study were provided books and followed throughout their first year. Families who read at least seven books per week demonstrated significantly higher expressive and receptive language scores by 9 months of age, with even greater difference by 12 months. 

Research from this study has shown that language development begins far earlier than expressive speech. Infants are actively building the neurological foundations for vocabulary, comprehension, and communication from birth. Reading aloud provides rich language exposure, prosody, rhythm, repetition, and shared joint attention which contribute to early neural wiring for future literacy and academic success. 

Importantly, the study also showed that simply giving parents clear directions to read daily increased the number of books they read early in infancy. Establishing reading expectations and routine matters. Early reading does not require long sessions or perfect attention. Infants benefit from short, frequent, positive experiences with books, even if they are moving, feeding, or only tolerating a few pages at a time. Repetition is beneficial along with familiarity, presence, and interaction. One short book per day is a realistic and powerful target. 

If you want to read more, click here! 

Angelina Stofka 

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant 

 

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