I began reading to my DD each night while she was in the womb, and I always began by saying her name twice, in a particular, sing-song way... We were still in the delivery room... I said her name in that sing-song way. She immediately stopped wailing, and locked her eyes on mine. I was rocking her back and forth, and as she moved, her eyes moved to stay with me. I had read that she shouldn't be able to track moving objects with her eyes for weeks, so that was a shocker.
Yes! This is also supported by research - a baby's development of neural pathways in the brain can be fueled when people talk to and read to the baby.
DOE archive,
Read With Me.
NPR article,
Baby Talk (Hart & Risley).
There are huge potential personal and societal benefits when parents choose to interact with their babies in this way, even pre-born.
Please note that this study describes a beneficial pattern of
behavior, which can be used by persons of all ethnicities, education levels, and SES:
- Study overview and book description
here.
- Book:
Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children.
- Companion Book:
The Social World of Children Learning to Talk)
- brief roundup of free, downloadable
pre-literacy and literacy resources available from the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)... which appear to back the findings of Hart-
Risley... including:
1)
A Child Becomes a Reader: Birth to Preschool (2006) 36-page PDF, subtitled Proven Ideas from Research for Parents
2)
Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to Read (2001) 8-page PDF, subtitled Helping Your Child Learn to Read, A Parent Guide, Preschool - Grade 3
3)
Shining Stars: Preschoolers Get Ready to Read (2007) 9-page PDF, subtitled How Parents Can Help Get Their Preschoolers Ready to Read
There are also a number of free, downloadable
reports available on literacy research, including:
4)
Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (2010), 260-page PDF, subtitled A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention
5)
Child Development and Behavior Branch (CDBB), NICHD, Report to the NACHHD Council (2009) 74-page PDF,
no longer current. NOTE: See page 45 for information foreshadowing a push for Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
6)
Developing Early Literacy: Executive Summary of the National Early Literacy Panel (2010), 11-page PDF, subtitled A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention
7)
Early Beginnings: Early Literacy Knowledge and Instruction (2010), 20-page PDF, subtitled A Guide for Early Childhood Administrators & Professional Development Providers
