The, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Wheres Spot - 1694 Words

Battered copies of Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Where’s Spot?, The Little Engine that Could, and countless other children’s books can be found in homes across America. Stories about old ladies whispering â€Å"hush† and starving caterpillars who eat everything in sight may seem silly and insignificant, but research studies suggest that reading aloud to infants and toddlers has positive impacts on their brain development. According to the U.S. Department of Education, â€Å"Children develop much of their capacity for learning in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90 percent of their eventual adult weight† (Start Early, Finish Strong). Seeing that the most substantial brain development occurs during the first†¦show more content†¦Jenet J. Erickson, a former assistant professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University, further expounds on this belief. She said: The ways mothers nurture their children’s individual growth is the critical influence on their development. Although men can and do take on this work of nurturing, much of the day-to-day work and responsibility for this nurturing care continues to ‘rest with women.’ †¦ Mothers are the most important influence on intellectual development and children’s learning because they often spend the most time with the child. During a child’s infancy, the cognitive stimulation and emotional support mothers provide lay the foundation for intellectual and linguistic functioning throughout development. This research paper will explore a few reasons why mothers should frequently read aloud to their infants and toddlers: reading aloud can stimulate early language and literacy skills, and it can strengthen mother-child bonds that support healthy social-emotional development. Reading Aloud to Infants and Toddlers Stimulates Early Language and Literacy Skills Reading aloud to infants and toddlers stimulates healthy human development, especially in regards to early language and literacy skills (Denny). By reading aloud to infants and toddlers on a regular basis, parents can provide a base for literacy skills that will lead to reading achievements later in life. The U.S. Department of Education article entitled Start Early,