At only 7 months, she is listening to stories and turning the pages of the board books. The best part is that when you finish a book and close it, she cries (without tears) in protest and stops immediately when you begin another book. This is music to my teacher heart! Between the 3 adults here Saturday night, she was read about 15-20 books (many repeated several times with which she was thrilled) and she expressed this dislike for the end of reading time and contentedness when reading resumed each time. It was incredible!
I wish all parents understood how important early literacy is. This sweet baby girl is my niece, Alex. She is very fortunate to have wonderful, loving, educated parents who have been reading to her since before she was born. Along with loving parents and an aunt that is a kindergarten teacher and absolutely head over heels in love with her -Alex is covered when it comes to enjoying books. All children deserve this start! Early reading not only is a comfortable, bonding time with young children, but it also advances cognitive development. It helps a child to develop language, vocabulary and concepts of print. The kids that have these early experiences begin school with everything they need to learn to read. And, as a kindergarten teacher, you can quickly tell who has been read to and who has not.
Love the blog, friend. Can't wait to read more. You are one of my favorite writers! That sweet little girl sure is blessed to have a family that will surround her with a love for books and learning.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Cheryl!! Love you to pieces and that is way too kind about my writing. However, you are one of the most talented people I know, so I'll take any compliment from you!
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