INSPIRATIONS

Spring / Summer 2016 - INSPIRATIONS 12
Reading to your toddler: Why it’s never too early
By Laura Caprini
Early on in my career, I attended a
teacher’s workshop that brought to
light research and statistics about the
advantages pre-schoolers gain by being read
to as toddlers. Long-term studies showed a
strong correlation between reading to your
child early, and performance in the area of
literacy in later years. I also learned how
significantly different these outcomes were
for children whose parents had seldom exposed
them to literature based activities
while in their toddler years. Doing so may
very well put a child at an academic advantage
later on.
Back then, the research presented was in
its early stages, but impressive nonetheless.
Today, thanks to advances in the field of
neuroplasticity and MRI imaging, scientists
can take the same study to new heights, and
are able to present conclusive evidence to
drive the point home one step further.
Last April, a study spearheaded by Dr. John
Hutton of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital,
revealed new evidence which theorizes
that reading to a child in the early years
benefits brain development, which, in turn,
sets the stage for early literacy skills acquisition.
This study, using magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) on 19 three to five-year-olds
while they listened to stories being read to
them, revealed a significant amount of activity
in the cerebral left hemisphere, the part
of the brain primarily responsible for reading
and language development. The reading
process, scientists concluded, creates images
in the listener’s mind, which stimulates
brain activity and sparks the critical development
of neural pathways.
As teachers, it is quite easy to pick out students
who were read to early on. Often, it
is these students for whom reading skills
acquisition comes easily. They look forward
to going to the library, and love to read to an
audience and/or be read to. We love to see
this, as it makes our jobs that much easier.
or movie-watching, sharing a book with a
loving parent is an interactive experience,
which does not come with a finite time
frame. Little ones’ attention spans can be
gradually extended through reading together.
The best gift we can give our children, our
presence, is required in order to read with
them. And, in turn, we are witnesses to their
pleasure and their wonder when they discover
something new.
For all new parents out there, Dr. J. Richard
Gentry, author of “Raising Confident Readers,”
outlines the top ten reasons to read to
your youngster. It may be the best investment
you’ll ever make in your child’s future
academic success!
Having a picture book read aloud is a multisensory
experience and a tool that assists in
vocabulary-building, and reinforces pronunciation
and expression, in the case of speech
and language challenges. Many books designed
for toddlers have textures to explore
or tabs to lift to reveal surprises, and they
all have pages to turn. This encourages natural
curiosity and provides fun practice for
fine motor skills and an avenue for working
through particular sensitivities.
Reading together encourages children on
the autism spectrum to engage in an activity
which provides relatable characters and
exposure to sequencing. Unlike television
Visit these links for more details: https://
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/raisingreaders-writers-and-spellers/201107/thetop-10-reasons-teach-your-baby-or-toddler-read.
http://www.aappublications.org/content/
early/2015/04/25/aapnews.20150425-4.
For more information, visit www.Hudson-
LiteracyClinic.ca, or email Info@Hudson-
LiteracyClinic.ca.
Laura Caprini is a teacher and co-founder
of the Hudson Literacy Clinic with teacher
Sandra Weir.