Join me over at Writing to be Read today with the first article in the Growing Bookworms series: The Beginning: The benefits of reading to young children.
I have always read to my two sons. My reading to them started during my pregnancies. I read somewhere that reading to your unborn baby helps sooth the fetus and get him/her used to his/her parents voice. Any excuse to read was acceptable to me and I read the entire Jean Auel Earth Children series to Gregory during my second and third trimester.
Gregory was a difficult baby. He was born with a defect that resulted in him having eighteen operations between the ages of 1 and 6 years old. When he was crying and restless I used to read to him. It always helped him settle eventually and it calmed me too.
During my pregnancy with Michael I had a two year old toddler to read to. The unborn Michael was entertained by a series of books for small children like Rupert the Bear, Paddington and the Mr Men…
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Robbie's inspiration 
I love reading to my two boys, I have read to both of them since they were born and it is now part of their bedtime routine that we have a book at bedtime 🙂 great post
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Thank you. I did the same with my two boys and they are both strong readers now. Even Michael, who had an auditory processing problem is the top reader in his class at school.
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I really do think it’s detrimental to their learning to get them interested in books. I love seeing my boys reading to themselves
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so important
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Thank you, Beth.
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I remember my mother reading to me. At that time I could almost read as well. She read to me many times and I forgot most of them, but I am glad that one memory remains.
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I remember my grandmother reading Little House in the Big Woods to me, Frank. I also treasure that memory. Now, I really enjoy audio books.
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The best memories of my family, from when I was a tot, was being read to by my parents. Getting library cards was like being given the keys to a car! ❤
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Library cards, those were great, Annette. Thank you for the reminder. I had 7, 4 were mine and 3 were my younger sisters. I used to cycle to the library and get 7 new books at least twice a week.
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Reading shows our children how much we love them in so many ways!
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I agree, Pam. It sets the stage for their future.
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James reads to Hannah. Her first book was Lord of the Rings.
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James is a man after my own heart, Tandy.
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This is a great post, Robbie. Sharing a love of reading is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child.
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I agree with you completely. A gift to last a life time.
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At one point my daughter worked in a Child Life department in at New York City hospital for a program called Reach Out and Read which gave new books to children at each pediatric visit. It was very well received.
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That sounds like a great programme, Elizabeth. We have collections of books for underprivileged schools here in South Africa. The problem here is the level of teaching is often poor so the children can’t read the books on their own. You have to combine giving books with giving time to assist with the reading.
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That is dreadful about the level of teaching.
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What a wonderful start to your boys lives Robbie. They have had a great introduction to the joy of books. Happy New Year.
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Thank you, Brigid. I had to work for it but it was well worth it. Happy new year to you too.
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You are a wonderful mother and gave your children an invaluable gift by reading to them even before they were born. Great post! 🤗
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Thank you, Janice.
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