Reading is good thing

People who know me, know that I'm not so fond of reading. Rarely did I read for pleasure once I reached high school, and I always chose book report books that were also books-on-tape or made into movies. haha. Well, one of the shower gifts we received from friends here in Oki was The Read-Aloud Handbook. It's a nifty resource that emphasizes the importance of reading to your children since so many studies show the tremendous impact it has on their development and ability to learn in the future. We remember seeing a TV infomercial for a kit that teaches your child to read at a very early age and thinking, "hey, maybe we'll get that for our kids"...but we realize, there's no need to bombard them with flashcards and DVDs and hope they turn genius. Investing the time and energy to help them develop a love for reading will suffice! Ok, so now I'm learning to develop this "love for reading" too!

We began reading to Leyna a few weeks ago, and so far she seems to be enjoying herself. You may wonder, as we did, if it's too early to read to her now...but as the book points out, you don't wait to talk to your baby until they are 6 months old do you? After all, reading is exposing them to the same English language we use to talk to them. Ah, good point! So everyday we "Come and meet the animals on the farm..." via a Touch n Feel book with a furry chick, velvety horse, fluffy dog, woolly lamb, and piglet with a spongy nose. Not just once, several times a day if she's up to it.
I was quite impressed the first time I read her the book. First pass, it actually held her attention, and she swung her arm out to reach the lamb. Second pass, she kept waving around at each page...Third pass, amazed she was still attentive and that she still swatting at every page, I tried to take photos to show daddy when he got home. Yay, great start Leyna! You just can't underestimate how fast these kiddos can learn.

And just for fun...for those who haven't heard her cute lil voice, here's Leyna on her playmat having a conversation with me. She's beyond the "aah's" now and moved to the "eerh's", "goo's" and giggles...we just have yet to catch it on tape!