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Reading in the First Year Shapes a Lifetime

Spring 2025

Neva Frankhouser

Nursing Major- Spanish Minor


Introducing your newborn to the world of books may seem premature. Still, evidence suggests that reading to your baby from birth can profoundly impact their cognitive and language development.


Reading aloud to infants stimulates their developing senses, building listening and memory skills that are the foundation for future reading abilities. (Nemours Foundation, 2023) A study by Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine found that daily reading improves language development in infants as young as two weeks, with noticeable improvements in language scores by nine months. (Harris, Megan E., et al, 2022)


Storytime is a family affair! Reading to your baby alongside their siblings builds brains and bonds!
Storytime is a family affair! Reading to your baby alongside their siblings builds brains and bonds!

Beyond language development, reading to your baby fosters bonding and emotional connection. The act of reading together signals safety and love, strengthening your relationship. The more time you spend sharing activities with your babies, the more you bond with them. Newborns react really well to one-on-one time with others. It helps them grow as learners and humans. (Shonkoff, Jack P., and Deborah A. Phillips, 2009)


Additionally, exposing infants to a variety of words and concepts through books enhances their cognitive development and understanding of the world around them. Incorporating reading into your daily routine supports your baby's early development and sets the stage for a lifelong love of reading. That’s what we intend to foster here at Global Give-A-Book.



Sources:


"Reading to Babies." KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/reading-babies.html. August 2023. Harris, Megan E., et al. "Parental Reading to Infants Improves Language Score: A Rural Family Medicine Intervention." Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, vol. 35, no. 6, 2022,

pp. 1156–1164. PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36396412/. December 2022.


Harris, Megan E., et al. "Parental Reading to Infants Improves Language Score: A Rural Family Medicine Intervention." Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, vol. 35, no. 6, 2022, pp. 1156–1164. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine,


Shonkoff, Jack P., and Deborah A. Phillips, editors. From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The

A child's fighting chance starts with a book!

Every book we give is a step toward a more self-sufficient child.



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