When I outreach to young families who have just given birth to newborns or adopted a newborn, I am excited for the children and the families as they guide these young minds to explore the world around them.

One of these avenues of learning is reading. Reading to young children from birth to 3 years old is understood by the young mind more than we know. Why wait to reap the benefits of beginning to read when your child is older? Don’t miss a moment to encourage your young child to read and succeed.

Benefits of reading to your children early in their lives are:

• They develop listening and visual skills to explore the world around them.
• They are encouraged to learn meanings of words as well as memorizing words and phrases.
• They begin to use their imagination.
• Reading to babies and young children makes them feel secured and loved in a special bond between children and the parents, grandparents or caregiver.
• In reading to babies from birth to 11 months, here are a few helpful tips:
• Search for books that are easy to wash and clean such as vinyl books, cloth or thick cardboard books.
• Set the books up where they can be seen and enjoyed. Sitting with your baby in your lap and looking at books will open the mind of a young child.
• Point and tap the pages you are reading so the baby will focus on what is being read and pay attention.
• Older babies like to hold books, point to pictures and turn pages.
• Reading traits in 1-year-old children are:
• He can express a choice of the books he wants to read.
• One-year-old children do a lot of hands-on learning. Putting books out with textures or those that make sounds are so motivating for your young child in reading readiness.
• The 1-year-old loves to point to pictures and name what she sees! Having your child point to the pictures, naming the pictures and using a lot of expression in making sounds begins the interactive reading-readiness process.
• Reading traits in the 2- and 3-year-old child are:
• They want Mom, Dad, grandparents or caregivers to read their favorite books again and again. They will memorize it and you will too!
• Use a bookmark or finger to point out words.

Beth Pinyerd lives in Daphne and serves as director of younger children at Faith Family Fellowship in Spanish Fort.

Her column appears regularly in The Bulletin.