Even Babies Benefit from Routine Story-telling

Children with parents who've read to them since birth are smarter, according to a new study.

Researchers found that even infants benefit from bedtime stories. The latest findings reveal that story time routines help strengthen vocabulary and communication skills that are essential to success in school.

In a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), researchers found that storytelling in early life could actually predict academic successful in preschool. They explained that success in preschool would then translate into success in kindergarten and higher education.

Researchers explain that routine story telling time benefits babies through early literacy via rhyming, playing, talking and singing.

"You're not teaching a two-month-old how to read," said Dr Danette Glassy, a pediatrician near Seattle, Washington, who co-chairs the AAP's Council on Early Childhood, according to the Daily Mail.

"Sitting down with them makes your baby smart and wise," Glassy added.

The latest study, which involved data from the 2011 to 2012 Survey of Children's Health, revealed that only one in three children in the U.S. are ready daily from birth to the age of five. However, children born to higher socioeconomic families received more daily reading time.

"Even the most affluent family can be distracted from interacting with their baby," said Glassy, according to Reuters. "They can entertain their babies with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos that interfere with their development."

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