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Question from an English-teaching father: when should I start reading to my son?
I was wondering: when should I start reading to my newborn son?
When my girlfriend and I discovered we were having a baby, I set out on a challenge to find out when would be the best time to start reading to him. Friends in our circle laughed and said that the baby wouldn’t notice anyway until he began to understand language (note that none of these people were linguists). Not convinced and fuelled by my linguistic curiosity (and the fact that I am a linguist), I set out to find the perfect moment to start reading to my son and what research says about shared reading.
Reading and language learning
Language learning relies heavily on exposure to the language, and it is widely recognised that since reading is considered a superior form of language exposure, it offers considerable benefits for anyone learning a language, regardless of whether it’s their first, second, or additional language. Therefore, it is clear that reading to babies plays a crucial role in their language development. But does it even matter? Should parents spend their time reading to their newborns, or should they wait until they are older and can comprehend what they’re being read?
