Expose your child to reading as early as possible

Reading for pleasure is a wonderful way for children to relax and explore other worlds besides their own. It also helps them grow into better adjusted teens, according to a study published in the journal Psychological Medicine.

The study, which included more than 10,000 young adolescents, showed that those who read for fun as younger children did better on tests, had fewer behavior and mood issues, and had surprising differences in the structure of their brains. They also spent less time staring at screens and got more sleep than their peers who didn’t read for pleasure.

“As pediatricians, we love seeing studies like this because we know this is true,” said Kathryn Rudman, MD, at Briarpatch Pediatrics in Yarmouth Port, Sandwich and Nantucket. “This study correlates early reading from the ages of 3 to 10 with huge benefits as seen on memory, speech and ability to process verbal information and higher brain tissue on MRIs. These children were likely taught to love reading from the time they were born!”

Since the pediatricians at Briarpatch (and other pediatric practices around the Cape) know how important it is for parents to foster a love of reading beginning when their children are babies, they participate in the Reach Out and Read program. The program was started at Boston Medical Center in 1989 and currently reaches 4.4 million children in all 50 states. Pediatric offices that participate are able to give their young patients a free book at every well child visit between birth and the age of 5.

“The kids look forward to their books so much,” Dr. Rudman said. “As soon as they turn 6, then technically they age out of the program. We always have extra books on hand so that we can continue it even for the older ones, because they so look forward to their book when they come in for their yearly checkup.”

Even for Young Babies

Reach Out and Read is a grant program that only covers ages birth to 5, so book donations for older kids are always welcome.

“We always tell people, if you have new or gently used books that you want to drop off, that’s how we end up having lots of extra books to give to the older kids who miss out on getting their book provided by the grant,” she said. “Bring books to your pediatrician’s office. They will welcome you with open arms.”

Parents might be puzzled by why they give books to infants. Dr. Rudman explains that even young babies love to hear their parent’s voices, and being exposed to language through reading helps them attain language skills much earlier.

“They can also look at the pictures, they can explore the book by chewing on it, and they can learn to turn the pages,” she said. “It’s such a wonderful bonding time to spend together.”

Dr. Rudman believes that it’s important to let parents know that there is no pressure if their child has trouble sitting still for long enough to finish the book. Just let them go play and revisit the reading later.

Pique Your Child’s Reading Interest

She offered the following tips to help parents get their young children interested in reading:

• If they prefer to lay on the floor and play with toys while you read, let them.
• Make different voices for the different characters.
• Act out the characters while you are reading to keep their attention.
• If they want to read the same book every night for a week, let them. There is emotional comfort in familiarity and routines.
• If you have older kids, let them read to their younger siblings. It’s good practice for the older child and encourages sibling bonding.
• If they do want to chew on the book, let them, and continue to tell them the story while they are doing it. Don't worry if the book is getting wrecked! (Board books are great for the really young ones.)
• Let them read anything (appropriate) that they want. Some kids prefer comic books or graphic novels with lots of illustrations.
• Old-fashioned paper books are better than e-books because they allow for more interaction between the parent and child.
• Let your children see you reading in your spare time rather than scrolling on your phone.

“Kids see what you do,” Dr. Rudman said. “If you have a book that you pull out when you are sitting and waiting at the doctor’s office, they’ll be more likely to want to do the same. If you’re pulling out your phone and you are just mindlessly zipping from thing to thing to thing, then they are going to model that too.”

Kids will always gravitate towards screens, but Dr. Rudman recommends holding off on introducing them as long as possible. It’s much better to help a child cultivate an interest in reading, or art, building things, playing outdoors, enjoying nature. If they have other healthier interests, they will be less likely to lose themselves in screens and the downsides that come with them like sedentary behavior, lack of sleep, mental health issues, and the tendency to spend lot of time mindlessly scrolling in ways that foster concerns about attention and focus, she said.

“Once kids lose an interest in reading, it’s really hard to get them back,” Dr. Rudman said. “So, it’s so important to foster this interest early on and then to keep it going. It’s like practicing anything. If you don’t practice it, it’s not going to be easy and you want kids to start school already loving books. If they are reading for pleasure, and reading is a thing they enjoy with their parents or grandparents, then when they get to school, they’re less likely to be turned off by learning to read and reading to learn.”