Science-Backed Reasons: Why and How Reading Books Help Children

As a parent, did you know that while the brain continues to develop and evolve, the first eight years of childhood build the foundation for future learning, cognitive and logical development?

As a parent, your next question is: How do we ensure our child’s holistic learning and cognitive development?

The answer is straightforward.

Nurturing your child by understanding their needs and responding sensitively helps to protect children's brains from stress.

Speaking with children, giving time to them, and exposing them to books, stories, and songs/rhymes helps strengthen children's language and communication, which puts them on a path toward learning and succeeding in school.

Humble request, things a parent should avoid:

Screen time is scientifically proven to reduce babies' ability to read and control human emotions. It also detracts from activities that help boost their brain power and concentration, like play and interacting with other children. Please avoid it as much as possible. Read this exciting article from UNICEF - Babies need humans, not screens.

Don’t compare your kids’ learning and development with other kids or people claiming to have given birth to born geniuses. Every kid is different and will have their own learning path and learning curve. If in any doubt, consult your pediatrician.

Did you know the early years (0 to 8) are also called the foundation years? The early or foundation years are the most extraordinary period of growth and development in a child's lifetime. The foundations of all learning are laid during these years. Children are developing at a phenomenal rate. Each day they are learning new skills and developing/improving on existing ones. Skills learned during these eight years are carried with us through childhood and deep into adulthood.

These skills include physical, decision-making, problem-solving, personal hygiene, communication, and academic skills.

Books and the correct set of toys can help your kids with holistic development of your kid. Start as early as possible but never try to force reading or books on your kids. This is why starting early helps. In the early years, kids will develop an affinity towards them and become lifetime avid readers if given the correct set of books.

The best way to introduce books is to start with nap time. Introduce regular reading, singing, and practicing poetry or writing and coloring activities to babies from birth until they turn eight.

Reading from an early age can help:

Improve the ability to understand words
Develop a vivid and complex imagination
Develop a range of sounds and phrases (speech)
Develop literacy skills, including spelling, listening, writing, & reading
Develop fine motor skills
Promote emotional responses

Listed below are a few of our (Ignited Minds – Leading platform for kids’ books and educational toys) favorite book types that can help introduce reading to kids:

Cloth Books:

Letting your baby play with cloth books is an excellent way of boosting early skills development. Around 8-11 months, your little one may begin to learn how to turn the pages of a book and even start playing with all the flaps, tags, and animals in the book.

Black and white cloth books help kids during the first six months, as they initially only recognize black and white colors. Later, after 6-9 months, you can start introducing other variations of cloth Books. Cloth Books with crinkle or squeaky sounds can add a fun element for your toddler.

Sound Books:

Parents realize sound books, with accompanied sound effects, offer ease of use and often involve children in a way that simply reading a book cannot.

Sound Books offer a unique and engaging way to introduce children to the world of reading. With the help of sound effects, music, and voice actors, sound books can capture a child's attention and imagination, bringing stories to life in a whole new way. Studies have shown that reading and listening to sound books can positively affect a child's cognitive, language, and social-emotional development.

Children often love jungle sound books, vehicles sound books. At Ignited Minds, we bring one of the largest curated collections of sound books.

Sensory - Touch and Feel Books:

These gently educational, tactile books are ideal for babies aged 6-18 months. There are lots of exciting textures for babies to engage with.

With touch & feel pages and something to spot, count, or play with on every page, each colorful sensory touch-and-feel book available with Ignited Minds - – A leading platform for kids’ books and educational toys will benefit older babies and toddlers and provide lots of fun!

Pop-up Books:

Research shows that pop-up books help visualize the characters, setting, and understanding of the text. Pop-up books are perfect for training kids’ imaginations to picture what’s happening in the story and getting them ready for a lifetime of richer reading experiences.

Pop-up books enhance kids’ active engagement and cooperation. Furthermore, pop-up books help kids to understand and visualize the topics easily.

Choose from a vast collection of pop-up books and travel into the world of imagination.

Puppet Books:

Using puppet books to introduce books supports children to develop socially and emotionally as they view puppets as friends and feel more comfortable engaging in social interactions.

Puppets books also encourage children to improve their motor skills and creativity when playing and using the puppets.

Puppets books are an excellent tool to get young children’s attention
Puppets books help students act out everyday scenarios
Puppets books, especially finger puppets, allow little ones to transform into anything they want
Puppets books are an excellent visual representation for storytelling or narrating a completely new story

Lift-the-flap Books:

Lift-the-flap books or peekaboo books are a fun way of reading stories to children with a surprise greeting the kids on every page.

These books make learning interactive, fun, and educational. The unusual textures and flaps ensure engagement and keep the little ones interested. Spot lift-the-flap book or Dear Zoo Lift-the-flap Books can be a great way to introduce lift-the-flap books.

Push-Pull-Slide Books:

Push-pull-slide books with push, pull, and turning mechanisms to introduce books supports children in developing fine motor skills. Little ones love pushing and pulling the tabs in the board books.

Push-pull-slide books with push, pull, and turning mechanisms also encourage children to improve their creativity when playing and using the tabs and the mechanical systems.