Some of the best times I have with Marley is when she is sitting on my lap and I read her stories. I think that she really likes the sound of my voice and the different sounds of the characters voices in the stories that I make. Dr. Seuss stories and other poems and stuff that rhyme are really fun to read… and listen to.

According to kidshealth.org- The more the baby’s sences are stimulated, the more quickly the rest of the baby’s brain will develop. So reading to your baby out loud:

• teaches your baby lots about communication
• introduces concepts such as numbers, letters, colors, and shapes in a fun way
• builds listening, memmory, and vocabulary skills
• gives babies information about the world around them

Believe it or not, by the time your baby is 1, he or she will have learned all the sounds needed to speak your native language. The more stories you read aloud, the more words your child will be exposed to and the better he or she will be able to talk. Hearing words helps to imprint them on a baby’s brain.
When reading, your child hears you using many different emotions and expressive sounds, which fosters communication and emotional development. Reading also invites your baby to look, point, touch, and answer questions – all of which promote social development. And your baby develops thinking skills by imitating sounds or repetitive words and recognizing images.
But perhaps the most important reason to read aloud is that you are helping make a connection between the things your baby loves the most – your voice and closeness to you – and books. Spending time reading to your baby shows that reading is a skill worth learning.

Hears a nice little poem by one of my favorite childhood writers Shel Silverstein

The Giving Tree

Once Upon a Time….There was once a great apple tree and a little boy. They would spend hours and hours together. The boy would play in the tree’s branches, sleep at her roots and eat of her apples. And the tree loved the boy.

One day, the boy came to the tree. The tree was delighted and beckoned, “Come and play!” But the boy was no longer a boy; he was now a young man, and he was interested in making a living, but he didn’t know how.

“Here,” the tree said, “take my apples and sell them.” The young man did just that, and the tree was happy.

Years passed, and the tree was lonely without the young man. One day, he returned, and the tree was delighted, but he was now interested in settling down. He wanted to build a house.

“Here,” the tree said, “Cut off my branches and build your house.” The young man did just that, and the tree was happy.

Years passed, and the tree still missed her friend. One day, the man returned, and the tree was again overjoyed. But the man was now older and tired of life; he wanted to get away from it all.

“Here,” the tree offered, “Cut me down. Make for yourself a boat, and sail the world in it.” The man did just that, and the tree was happy.

Many years passed, seasons came and went, and the tree was very lonely. She missed her friend, and she often thought about the old days, when they had such fun. Finally, she saw her friend coming over the hill, and she was delighted.But the boy was now an old man, no longer able to play or make money or to sail away. And he was tired.

“Here, my friend,” the tree said, “I still have a pretty good stump left. Won’t you sit and rest?” The old man did that, and the tree was happy.

Written By Shel Silverstein