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‘I Want My Baby to Read’:
Supporting Parents in Guiding Early Language and
Literacy Development
by Bisa Batten Lewis
Among modern parents today, a focus on teaching babies to
read has emerged. As a result, teachers feel pressure from
parents, the media, and society to adapt their practices to
meet these new demands. In this article, I suggest strategies
to help you address the concerns and demands of parents
about their children learning to read. These include clarifying for parents that we recommend certain practices as
more appropriate than others they may hear about or see
on t elevision.
Why Teaching Babies to Read
is Not Good Practice
Listed below are just a few of the many reasons why teaching babies to read is not good practice:
It’s not developmentally appropriate.
There is no need to rush.
Babies don’t read; they memorize!
Reading instruction is too formal for babies who learn best
through play.
Other areas of development suffer.
Reading early will not make your baby a genius.
What We Know about Child Development and
Early Literacy Development
Literacy includes all the activities involved in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and appreciating both spoken and
written language (Armbruster, Lehr & Osborn, 2006). Brain
Bisa Batten Lewis is an author of articles, college textbooks,
children’s books, curriculum, and parent-teacher resource books.
She has supervised multiple child development centers and professional development schools and taught students from the elementary to university level. Bisa earned doctoral and master’s degrees in
Adult Education at the University of Georgia and baccalaureate and
master’s degrees in Early Childhood Education from Albany State University.
An international speaker, parenting advisor, and early childhood trainer,
Bisa strives to enlighten the minds of legislators, educators, and parents in the
hopes that all children will have sufficient opportunities to learn. Visit her at
www.drbisaonline.com.
research tells us that infants are born with 100 billion neurons (brain cells responsible for most brain functioning);
however, the brain is not fully developed at birth. The brain
develops in order from simple to the most complex parts
and is strengthened through play and the new connections
the child is making as she learns. An infant’s brain allows her
to physically hear sounds from all languages with connections for cognitively distinguishing familiar sounds being
strengthened during early childhood (Better Brains for
Babies, 2011).
Although young children may be able to hear and distinguish familiar sounds, they lack the ability to coordinate the
movement of their vocal apparatus before the age of 4 to
say or process the sounds correctly. As a result, they simplify
the structure of complex words, which makes it difficult to
say certain sounds, sound combinations, or transition from
one sound to another. It is only during the mid-preschool
years, ages 3½ to 4, that children become intelligible in their
speech enabling them to pronounce more consonants at
the beginning, middle, and end of words. By 4½ to 5 years,
most consonant sounds are used consistently, although they
may not be mastered in all contexts. Words that include
blends (bl, cr, str…) and digraphs (ch, sh, th…) are not usually mastered until around age 7 (Kipping, Gard, Gilman &
Gorman, 2013).
Appropriate language and literacy goals for infants are:
Responding to frequently-spoken sounds and words
Following simple directions and requests
Using motions, sounds and gestures to begin to communicate
Using sounds in social situations
Beginning to express themselves freely and creatively
using sounds
Attending to stories
Exploring books
Showing awareness of pictures
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By age 3, a child should:
Applying Research to Practice
Like reading with an adult on a regular basis
Listen to stories from books and stories told
Recognize a book by its cover
Pretend to read books
Understand that books are handled in certain ways
Look at pictures in a book and know they represent real
objects
Say the name of objects in books
Comment on characters in books
Ask an adult to read to him or help him write
Begin paying attention to print, such as letters in names
Begin to tell the difference between drawing and writing
Begin to scribble as a way of writing, making some forms
that resemble letters
As early childhood educators, we are guided by the principles of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in our
work with children: “practice that promotes young children’s
optimal learning and development” (NAEYC, 2009, p. 1).
Developmentally appropriate strategies for supporting
infants’ language and literacy learning are:
Reading to baby 3-5 times per day
Allowing baby to engage in reading with you (e.g., point,
turn pages, and so on)
Actively talking with baby, with eye contact, about food,
daily routines, outdoors, signs, pictures, books, and print in
the environment
Singing songs, such as “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
Performing finger plays, such as “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”
Reciting nursery rhymes
Talking to baby about family photos
Listening to music with baby
Making sounds with baby using instruments or household
objects
Making writing materials available for scribbling
Engaging infants and toddlers (children from 12-35
months) in a variety of appropriate early literacy activities will later enable them to:
Handle a book
Turn pages
Finger-sweep
Tell the difference between print and pictures
Name letters
Associate letters with sounds
Read from the top of the page to the bottom
Read words from left to right
Learn and make new sounds
Differentiate sounds
Extend vocabulary
Listen actively
Develop writing skills
Let’s revisit each of the reasons listed above for why teaching babies to read is not good practice.
Reason #1: It’s not developmentally appropriate.
Teaching babies to read, in the formal sense, is not developmentally appropriate. In fact, it can be counter-productive
when reading instruction does begin, because children may
associate reading and books with failure (Zero to Three,
2003). Early educators should help parents understand that
reading includes more than recognizing, memorizing, and
calling out words. The most important reading skill is comprehension — understanding, which generally becomes
manifest in the preschool years (ages 3-5).
Current research on early literacy and brain development
offers natural recommendations on what skills and activities
infants and toddlers can perform that will enable them to be
successful readers, starting in the preschool years, and enjoy
reading and books long-term. It is generally agreed that it is
during the mid- to late-preschool years when phonological
awareness (distinguishing the sounds of language) begins.
Recommended Teacher Response to Parent: Teaching reading effectively really does require starting during the infant
and toddler years — from birth to age 2; however, how reading is taught will either help or hurt your child when formal
reading instruction begins in the preschool years — at ages
3-5. To help your child develop into a successful reader, it is
important to know when to introduce what skills. Listed
below are activities you can do with your child to develop
lifelong language and literacy skills.
Resource: Show parents Getting Ready to Read (Parlakian,
Lerner & Im, 2008) that outlines age-appropriate activities
for early language and literacy learning. Give them the website to download a full-color copy (see Resources).
Reason #2: There is no need to rush.
Early educators should remind parents that they have three
years to engage children in learning pre-reading skills. There
is no need to rush to teach them to read in the first year of
life. Parents and teachers should be focusing on the development of the whole child (physical, cognitive, social, and
emotional) using differentiated, active, and interactive activ-
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ities to promote learning. Since the brain develops connections when new knowledge is related to previously-learned
information and experiences, parents and teachers should
focus on engaging infants and toddlers in new experiences
that are derived from familiar knowledge: for instance, sharing books that relate to the family pet and later extending
learning to farm and zoo animals.
Recommended Teacher Response to Parent: Introducing
the right skills and activities at the right time will enable
your child to become a successful reader for life and inspire
the enjoyment of reading. When is ‘the right time’? The time
varies from one child to another. The development of prereading skills happens throughout the first three years.
Focusing on the appropriate language and literacy skills
when he is ready, without rushing him to actually read
words, will better position him to recognize and say the
sounds of letters and words later on.
Resource: Share with parents everyday activities they can
engage in with their infants and toddlers to support language and literacy development. Examples of developmentally appropriate language and literacy strategies and
activities are shared earlier in this article.
Reason #3: Babies don’t read; they memorize!
Brain research suggests that the most important activities
for babies to engage in with their caregivers are positive,
loving interactions that include sharing books, telling
stories, singing songs, and talking to one another. Formal
reading activities, such as watching videos or having them
call words in books and on flash cards, are examples of rote
learning (memorizing). Rote learning is achieved through
repetition and does not yield concrete, long-term results.
The primary goal of reading is comprehension, which does
not develop until the brain has the capacity to perform
concrete operations (ages 7-11). Before that time, children
generally have the ability to learn language usage and to
represent objects by images and words. Therefore, memorizing is not considered reading.
Recommended Teacher Response to Parent: Teaching a
baby to read does not actually begin with the baby physically reading words from a page. Since an infant’s vision is still
in early development and the brain is still learning to recognize and differentiate images, the best activities adults can
use to support true language and literacy development during infancy are exposing babies to as many sounds, words,
and pictures as possible. Singing songs, showing and discussing pictures, and reading books to your baby each day
are the best ways to help him develop the skill of reading in
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the preschool years.
Resource: Share with parents “Tips for Choosing Books for
Babies and Toddlers” (Zero to Three, 2011) to support them
in identifying the types of books that are most interesting to
and appropriate for infants and toddlers (see Resources).
Reason #4: Reading instruction is too formal for babies
who learn best through play.
The primary goal of language and literacy during the infant
and toddler years is to help children hear and distinguish the
sounds of language in their environment. Instead of focusing on teaching babies to read, caregivers should engage
them in brain-compatible activities that will reinforce these
developing skills. The ability to tell the difference between
diverse sounds they hear in infancy will allow them later to
name the letters in words, understand the meanings of
words, and combine words to make sentences.
Recommended Teacher Response to Parent: The brain
learns by connecting a child’s new experiences to what is
already familiar. The most effective ways to prepare your
baby for reading involve playing games and sharing books
that relate to familiar animals, toys, objects, characters,
sounds, and actions. Try making familiar, and later new, animal sounds, showing and pointing to pictures in books, and
repeating key words (like dog and cat), inviting your baby to
play with language. Children can learn new information in
many ways; however, the way in which the brain learns best
is through interaction with others.
Resource: Encourage parents to sing songs and recite ageappropriate nursery rhymes with their babies and toddlers,
as well as point-out and discuss pictures in books. Give them
a list of nursery rhymes and songs you implement in your
lesson plans. Invite parents to the classroom to observe how
you playfully engage babies and toddlers in literacy-learning.
Reason #5: Other areas of development suffer.
Children are resilient and can learn from almost anything
that is presented to them. However, the question for caregivers is: Should I teach that skill to this child now? In order
for children to become successful lifelong learners, they
need to learn skills in the appropriate order. And some
children learn faster than others. The answers to questions
about when and how are based on our understanding of the
individual child. Parents and teachers must understand that,
if they skip steps A and B and jump to C, children will lack
the necessary foundation for learning.
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Recommended Teacher Response to Parent: Because each
child is different and learns at her own pace, adults must
develop a plan for her learning based on what she can
already do and what she will be learning next in each developmental domain. Observing children’s current level of performance in each area will guide us in our presentation of
new material and skills.
Resource: Share with parents the Better Brains for Babies
(2011) interactive charts “Helping Promote Healthy Brain
Development” outlining the skills infants and young children
are developing at each age and what adults can do to support their development. These charts are available in both
English and Spanish (see Resources). Clarify for parents that
when their little ones show consistent achievement of one
skill, it is developmentally appropriate for them to move
forward with activities that support the next related skill.
Reason #6: Reading early will not make your baby a
genius.
Products that suggest babies can read instill a false sense of
confidence in parents. Parents don’t need to purchase
expensive toys, videos, or courses to stimulate early literacy
development in their young children. Parents can simply
motivate and support learning by playing with their children,
encouraging exploration, and showing affection.
EXCHANGE
a dvocates by sharing appropriate activities for each child at
the right time with parents. Parents can be helped to understand that infants and toddlers are not intellectually or
physically ready to begin reading. Share with parents that
when a child consistently demonstrates achievement of a
developmental milestone, it is developmentally appropriate
practice to begin engaging the child in interactive activities
to support his achievement of the next milestone. Promoting
the accomplishment of early literacy skills at the right time
and in the right order will strengthen the child’s ability to
read and comprehend.
References
Armbruster, B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2006). A child becomes a
reader: Birth through preschool (3rd ed.). Portsmouth, NH:
RMC Research Corporation. www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/
pubs/upload/reading_pre.pdf
Better Brains for Babies. (2011). Connections.
www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/bbb/play.php
Kipping, P., Gard, A., Gilman, L., & Gorman, J. (2013). Speech
and language development (3rd ed.). [Wall Chart]. Austin, TX:
PRO-ED, Inc. www.expressiveminds.net/wp-content/
uploads/2013/11/speechandlang.pdf
Recommended Teacher Response to Parent: We know there
are many products on the market that suggest babies can
and should engage in formal academic instruction. Whether
the product focuses on teaching a baby to read or performing mathematical operations, we want you to realize that
these products and activities will not make your baby smarter, now or in the future. You can better support your child
long-term in achieving academic goals by turning everyday
situations into learning experiences.
NAEYC. (2009). Position statement: Developmentally
appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving
children from birth through age 8. www.naeyc.org/files/
naeyc/file/positions/PSDAP.pdf
Resource: Give parents the Zero to Three (2007) handout,
“Everyday Ways to Support Your Babies’ and Toddlers’ Early
Learning” (see Resources).
Resources:
Conclusion
Engaging infants and toddlers in a safe, healthy environment
where they interact with adults and peers learning to hear
and distinguish sounds of language in a loving, natural, playful way will enable them to develop into confident readers
and writers with the belief that they can overcome any
challenges that may come their way.
Although it may be important to some parents that their
babies read, early childhood educators must be child
Zero to Three. (2003). Early literacy. www.zerotothree.org/
child-development/early-language-literacy/earlyliteracy2pagehandout.pdf
Better Brains for Babies (2011). Helping promote healthy
brain development (English). www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/bbb/
images/BBB.Brochure_English.swf
Better Brains for Babies (2011). Helping promote healthy
brain development (Spanish).
www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/bbb/images/BBBbroch_Span.swf
Parlakian, R., Lerner, C., & Im, J. (2008). Getting ready to read:
Helping your child become a confident reader and writer
starting from birth. www.zerotothree.org/childdevelopment/early-language-literacy/cradlingliteracy_
ready2read_8-14-09.pdf
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Zero to Three. (2011). Tips for choosing books for babies and
toddlers. www.zerotothree.org/early-care-education/earlylanguage-literacy/choosing-books.html
www.ChildCareExchange.com
Zero to Three. (2007). Everyday ways to support your babies’
and toddlers’ early Learning. http://main.zerotothree.org/
site/DocServer/early_learning_handout.
pdf?docID=3081&AddInterest=1153
Reservations about the Benefits of Reading to Babies
by Janet Gonzalez-Mena
As a mother, I never thought about reading to babies. I love reading, and I enjoyed snuggling with a good book when my
children were old enough to somewhat put the pictures and words together. I never considered it important to start
much younger. If I were a mother of a baby now, with all the information out about pre-literacy skills, I would probably
feel it was my duty to read to my baby right away so he would become a successful reader someday. Of course, I would
love the snuggling part and enjoy the fact that books for babies now are quite compelling and some are just precious!
Certainly, exposing babies to books early is a good idea. Those of us concerned with infant-toddler care and parent
education are bound to consider letting parents know that. My concern is that though I have good feelings about
snuggling a baby with a book, that’s not true for everybody. I wouldn’t want to try convincing every parent and every
caregiver that reading to babies is a vital ‘readiness’ activity. What about parents who can’t or don’t like to read?
I know about people who hate to read out loud. I discovered them by accident when I came up with a new idea in one of
my early childhood community college classes. I announced to the students that we would take turns reading to the class.
I passed a book around expecting everyone would agree. Some loved it, but several had a negative reaction when the
book reached their hands. One got up and left before it got to her. I heard afterward what it was like to be humiliated like
that in front of their peers. Only one person outright refused, but some read very poorly and one read in such a shaky
voice, it was impossible to understand her. Another got confused and gave up quickly. I tried to imagine how these
students would take the message that it is important to read to babies. That might be not be the same as reading for
peers, but what if it was? What if they had been humiliated as children when reading aloud in class? What if they had
never read aloud before? What if reading was a skill they were still working on? Imagine the unspoken messages a baby
might pick up about books from a nervous, upset adult reading aloud.
A picture comes to mind about any campaign focused on getting everybody to read to babies. The picture comes from a
video I was asked to comment on some time ago. It was made to convince Spanish-speaking parents to read to their
children starting at a young age. The video opened with a picture of a mother proudly holding a book in one hand with
her very young baby clutched upright in the other arm. She was reading alright, but the baby wasn’t looking at the book.
The baby was doing everything she could to look at her mother’s face. She was frustrated because she couldn’t see her
mother’s face. The mother, oblivious to her baby’s efforts, just kept on reading. I wanted to say to the mother “Read the
baby — not the book!” Obviously, that was a bad example. I wish the people who made the video had settled the mother
and baby comfortably, so the mother could see the baby and the baby could look at the mother’s face during book
reading.
So here’s my thought: Be cautious when spreading messages about the necessity of reading to babies from birth on. Of
course, it’s really about exposing babies to books and letting them explore them long before they can read the actual
words in the book. For families with an oral tradition, storytelling may be more meaningful than books in the early years.
I have wonderful memories of my grandmothers telling me stories about when they were children.
My urgent message is to realize that some people have had unfortunate experiences learning to read, so passing on
negative feelings to very young children can create more problems than benefits. Why not emphasize (even in the case of
adults who are good readers) interacting with babies from birth, putting spoken language into the interactions?
Interacting is a two-way process — not just a monologue from the adult. Talking to the baby and waiting for a response is
teaching ‘conversation,’ even though the baby may not have any words for some time. It becomes a conversation when
adults respond to a baby’s facial expression, movement, or body language. Conversation is a great pre-reading skill!
Conversation can happen with a book, but it can also happen during diapering, dressing, feeding, and any other time!
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