Reading
Another great way to have our babies learn the sounds and patterns of a language is by reading out loud. We can read to them directly or read in general just for our own pleasure. Like music and singing, talking and narrating, and playing games with our baby in the womb, we are helping them hear the sounds, patterns and rhythms of speech of set language, which in turn will be absorbed and internalized, creating new brain pathways and increasing cognitive development. This will lay the groundwork for literacy skills once the baby is born and growing.
There are many things we can read directly to our babies like nursery rhymes, children’s books, adults’ books, magazines, newspapers, and so much more. Anything that can be read and out loud aids in early language acquisition. Nursery rhymes and children’s books, which are the most recommended at this stage of life, are great at focusing on simpler vocabulary and concepts, rhyming and repetition (which contributes to memory skills), melodic sentences, simple sentence structure, and even storytelling.
Reading is not only beneficial for our unborn baby, but it’s also a great way for mom to relax, decompress, and enjoy this peaceful moment. It also creates emotional bonding between the baby and mom and anyone else who chooses to read regularly to the baby. The sounds of familiar voices, especially of a mother's and father's, is comforting and familiar to the baby, which helps strengthen the emotional connection and promotes secure attachment after birth. By reading frequently, we also develop positive habits, which will most definitely carry over into infancy and later years, creating a love for books and reading.
My BabyLingua loves reading to babies! We will coach you in what books you could read, what tones to use, the speed of reading, articulation, and more. Let your baby relax and enjoy this soothing moment together with you and also acquire so much language knowledge.
"Reading to an unborn baby provides an additional form of language stimulation that is more structured," notes Dr. Fadiyla Dopwell, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician. "By setting this precedence early, the baby is being offered an advantage".
