What age did you start reading to your children?

Question

I started to read to my daughter at about 4 months but have recently stopped because she really is NOT interested and if she does sit still long enough to acknowledge what i am doing she just want to attack and eat the book (she has recently become mobile). She is a wiggle worm and just does not sit still or like to be held for any longer than 2 mins.....so now i feel guilty for not reading to her more, my health nurse says it is a MUST do task to increase their vocabulary...what do you think???

Answer 1

My daughter is now six and was just like your little one, too busy to sit down! She wrote her name at 20 months, could read at three and is now well ahead of her peers. My second baby was a boy, I read to him daily from when I found out I was pregnant, I sang, read poetry, big books little books and always spoke to him but he was late to do most things! Children are all different and part of your job as a parent is to feel guilty!

I found that with my daughter it was far better to sit with a 'treasure basket' - a box of objects which she could look at, bite, bang and I would talk to her about them, i.e ooh is that soft/hard/prickly/cold etc. The simple ideas are always best, my little girl used to love of kitchen untensils and saucepans! When she got older I would set her a task to fill the tin or basket with red things or smooth things. It promotes real life learning x

Answer 2

i started reading to her when entered the world.:D yah, babies really dont understand what youre reading to them but by  doing it youre helping them to love books and yah,it increases their vocabulary.

you dont need to read stories. you can start with picture books. thathelps your baby's vocabulary.

Answer 3

A newly mobilized baby can't concentrate on stories for long... what do you expect?

Why don't you talk to her if you are concerned about her vocabulary? Sing to her. Play games with her talking all the while, naming things, colours and actions. Tell her little made up stories in which she is the prime actor.

If you force her for these readings, you will make her dislike the reading time. I'll say your health nurse doesn't have a clue.

Answer 4

Lol increase vocab..........

I have read to my kids since birth (it is one of our pre bed rituals) my daughter spoke at 9 months and hasn't shut up since, lol. My son is 19 months and wont say a word. If your child wont sit still, making them sit through a story could make them hate it. I would start by just showing her pictures every now and again (you know, horse, sheep, cow, duck etc) in picture books. Leave them where she can find them and bring them to you (if she makes the choice it can help). You could even start to read a very very short one before bed.

Yes it helps with their development, but talking to kids with proper words helps more.

Answer 5

Reading to a child all depends on the child, so I would like to share with you my experiences with reading to my 2 boys.

My oldest son, at 6 months old, would lay next to me and listen to any story and just stare at the pictures.  I read to him several times a day because I enjoyed that quiet time with him.  I also knew that in a few years, it would definately pay off with a great vocabulary and interest in books.  He enjoyed books so much that the theme of his 1st birthday was books and everyone gave him books (some new, some were my family's favorites when they were younger). Reading to him did not help right away with his speech.  He actually had a speech delay and did not start speaking until he was close to 3 years old.  However, when he did start, his vocabulary was out of this world for his age and to this day (almost 5 years old) he speaks with better grammar than my 19 year-old brother!  His intereset in reading has not diminshed any, and he even began reading on his own just before his 4th birthday.  

My other son, who just turned 2, is a completely different story.  As much as I've tried reading with him, he was just NOT interested.  There was no book that I tried with him that he would sit and listen to.  He would take the book from me, flip it upside down, eat the pages, etc.  I was lucky if I got 2 pages read.  He actually just listened to his first entire story about 2 weeks ago.  His favorite book, which was also one of his brother's favorites, is Brown Bear, Brown Bear.  I think it is because of the rhymes, repetition, simple images.  Now, he'll bring me books throughout the day and say things such as "read book" or "read Elmo".  I just have to make sure that I keep books around that I know will interest him and then he will sit and listen. Even though I did not read to him daily (there would actually be weeks at a time when I did not read to him), his speech is exactly where he should be for his age.  

Since I was concerned about his lack of interest in reading, I spoke with my aunt (a speech pathologist) about it.  She said that the most important thing is that he hears the story, not see the pictures.  What I began doing was reading to his older brother while he was in the room.  That way he was hearing the story that I was reading and listening to how his brother and I interacted with each other during the story.  Every now and then, he would come over and take a look at the pictures and I would ask him if he could find something on the page or I would describe a picture for him.  

My recommendation to you is to try and read to her every day.  This does not mean that she has to be right next to you absorbing in every detail of the pages.  Put her on the floor with some toys and then lay down next to her with a book and read it.  If she shows interest, then point things out to her, such as "Look at the red bird".  The important thing is that she hears the story to learn the proper sounds involved in speech and the correct grammar.  Stick with books that are repetitious, such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear or Good Night Moon.  Although it is not repetitious, it does rhyme, and both of my boys love Big Red Barn.  Keep in mind that if you keep trying, she will eventually come around and enjoy reading.  It may just take 2 years like my son!

Answer 6

I started reading to my boys when they were 6 weeks old and every single day I would read to them I stopped reading to them since now they are 12 and 10 and read on their own

You don't have to have her sitting in your lap, just read out loud to her and show her the pictures.  I would lay down on the bed with my son and hold the book up so he could see the pictures while I read.

Answer 7

the earliest possible as you can, never stop reading to your child

Answer 8

I've read to my son since birth and he's 15 months old now and loves going to the library, bookstores and bring me or my husband a book to sit in our laps for a story.

Answer 9

I read to my 4 year old child everynight and i have done since she was 10 months old.

Try the touchy feely books at this age and i would not encourage her to eat the books as she will never learn to look after them.

Answer 10

****my health nurse says it is a MUST do task to increase their vocabulary...what do you think???****

I think she is full of bullshit. I have read every day to William & Tobias, both were non verbal until 20-24 months. William still doesn't speak much, although he does sign. Tobias will talk my ears off.

Obviously you talk to Charleigh, like a normal parent does. I find talking to your kids does more than any book. Books increase ones imagination, which is fantastic, but I highly doubt they increase ones vocabulary.

My kids love story time now they are over 2yo. But again most of my stories come from my head, not a book. I still find they want the book, to eat it or read it themselves.

My Tobias knows my Mudcake recipe off by heart from me telling him what I am doing when I make it.

Just talk to her, don't sweat it.

Answer 11

hi i started reading to my child at a very very early age, probably about 9 months or so.  Just those little cloth books or big picture books with one word or two.  I always read to him.  Now he's 7 years old and has developed a sense of what kind of books he likes.  I have a hard time getting him to read. He wont read unless its assigned from the teacher.  He wants me to read to him every night.  I work midnights so its really tough at times b/c i jsut want to take a nap but i hang inthere and read for only ten minutes and then tell him he will have to continue b/c mommyis too tired tonight.  Because i started reading to him young, he has been very articulate at a young age, and has been getting b's in reading.  It helps alot to read to your children and it makes them interested in bookslater on when they are older.  It really does work and helps them in the long run.  Plus, its a really good close parenting time "together".  Its really cute how they snuggle close to you and ask silly questions and get so into the story.  I absolutely loved it up until i started working nights. Then it got hard b/c im so tired and i feel guilty sometimes b/c i jsut dont have the willpower due to fatigue.  But now he's older and he understnad when im really tired. He gets let down alittle but he gets over it.  I try to make it up to hm on my nights off where we read for a longer time.  Anything is good!

If you are on a tight budget and cant afford to buy new books all the time like I am and my son gets bored after reading it once, I go the the library. There are so many good books for free!! You get to take them out for weeks at a time. I do this alot too and when he was young, he would go with me and i would have him choose books he liked. This helped alot!! Now he's 7 and too cool to go with me to the library!! So i go alone and get books.

Answer 12

from about 6 months onwards ...

at times they are not interested but i persist .. and has paid off ....

each child is different though .... my second loves it more than my first ..

so i read to my second more than my first

Answer 13

When kids are young babies they just like to hear your voice...they even recongnize it when they are inside of you.  So really you can read anything you want...even if it's a magazine...like cosmo...haha.  No that would be kinda weird.

Answer 14

in the womb

Answer 15

I read stories BEFORE i left the hospital ...

sure there was no way she had any idea what I was saying ... but the tones I read with changed with parts of the story ...

and we kept reading ... even my husband who was not a big reader himself read to her..

stick her in a highchair and read to her .. read to her when she is sleepy .. and read to her in an interesting manner not monotoned...

reading IS an important part of pre-education .. BUT don't beat yourself up over what you DIDN'T do and just make reading interesting for her now..

My daughter is a teen now and she  is an avid reader .. she's into the classics as well ( austen shakespear Chaucer  ect) ... whether or not this is because I read cat in the hat a million times or Spot the Dog ten thousand times  ... I don't know..

make reading time a pleasure for you both...

Good luck

Answer 16

I read to my first when he was in the womb, I love to read and just so he could hear my voice I started reading out loud. I make sure to read to him when I can now, he is 6. But normally he is the one reading to me and my tummy. He loves reading to his little brother. Tho i think I may start pulling out hair if I have to hear green eggs and ham one more time. I don't have to be looking to go threw the whole book now..lol

You don't have to just read to them to help them learn, it is all about tlaking to them. And talking normally. Baby talking causes damage. A child mimics how you talk. Read when you can, I understand the attention span thing, they get bored, but talk to them. All the time, and interact. I found taking walks with my son was great for this. Look at the green grass. Wow the sky is so blue. They see learn and hear everything you say.

Answer 17

Must do, huh? I don't buy it. I was reading to my kids when they were babies (my firstborn was listening to me read Stephen King in the hospital!), but I don't think you have to do it to increase their vocabulary...not at that age. You can try reading at naptime and bedtime now since she's so wiggly, and leave the books till she's good and sleepy! When she's older (two or three) you can sit down with her and read and expect her to listen....but just talking to her like a normal person instead of babbling like a baby is what helps the vocabulary...

Answer 18

I stated at about 8 weeks he is 7mths now and only now showing a sml amount of interest but i think its good to get them involved in books ASAP

Answer 19

12 weeks.  And just keep reading to her.  Get the big cardboard type books that she can mouth on while you point out shapes and colors to her.  Don't start reading her long paper page books yet.  She just needs to hear your voice and watch the colors and words and shaps.  Also try giving her a book to mouth on while you're reading her another one.   That may work as well.

If she is a wiggle worm,  allow her to wiggle around while you're reading to her.  She's 4 months, she's allowed to move and wiggle.  She won't have to learn to sit still until she's nearly 4 or 5

Answer 20

start and stop start and stop,

if you stop for a while and start again the kid might regain intrest.

if you're lucky you might have a natural born reader!

Answer 21

Keep trying. She's very young still...Don't worry! It's fine. My parents started reading when I was almost two, they say. I wasn't interested either haha. But they kept going and my interest grew slowly. By the time I was a little over two years old, I LOVED books. And by the time I was three, I knew how to read by myself in English and Spanish too. So the more you expose them, the better. Also, shows like Barney promote reading and if she watches this show and sees other children getting interested in them on TV, she'll get more into reading. I personally think that a four month old can't be hardly be expected to be interested! She doesn't understand. I think you're going a little fast there. But I think it's great that you're interested in your daughter's learning, because so many parents these days don't even read to their kids and their kids end up going to kindergarten not knowing anything. An early start is great, but wait until your daughter is a little older to where she's developed her senses better and her interests have blossomed some. That way, you won't be frustrated and you both can get the best out of reading. You both can bond this way too! But don't start at three or four or five...I think it's too late then. Two is about fine, in my opinion.

btw, I LOVE reading and kids at school make fun of me but I don't care. My parents taught me that reading is good so I like it. I devour books and magazines! :) Good luck.

Answer 22

I read to Sophie on a regular basis from about 2 months or so.  She didn't show any interest until about 8 months!!  :)  Don't worry about it, just try to read one short book a few times a day.  Maybe sit on the floor and show it to her, reading out loud and pointing at the pictures?  She may make her way over to you and enjoy it because she is free, not being held on a lap.  My girl wiggles a lot too!

And about vocabulary, talking to her normally (like she's an adult) also helps, not just reading.  I am a big fan of books too though!

Answer 23

Why does she have to sit still to be read to? Read to her while she wiggles on the floor - and buy her an indestructable plastic book to eat :)

I think it's important. Kids copy what they see older people doing - cooking play, cleaning play, feeding dolly, driving a car... if she sees you reading, she'll want to read. If she doesn't she won't. It's that simple.

Answer 24

There are definitely alternatives to reading. You could sing songs or just talk to your child. I have full conversations with my daughter who is 3 months old. She can't talk back but that doesn't stop me from asking her how her day was and talking about the things she likes. It may sound silly to have a conversation with someone that can't talk back but Children love the sound of their parents voices and talking to them whether its reading to them or just chatting with them is very helpful and will only benefit your child.

Answer 25

Almost from birth.

Try just before bed-time when she is lying in her bed and tired. If she falls asleep, that's OK.

"Good Night Moon" is a great book. "The Owl and the Pussycat" is my personal favorite. "Are You My Mother", anything from Dr. Suess is a must.

Get books with bright colors and pictures. Getting her to love books is what is most important so do not stress if they are not full blown stories or have just a couple of words per page.

Have fun!