Talk Read Sing - Brain Workouts for Your Little Ones

I am a huge advocate of reading with your children starting from a very young age. For me, it was even when my sons were in my tummy. When I was pregnant, I'd read the same story over and over again, right before bed. I continued reading the same book with my boys at night as soon as they were born. It was amazing to watch their facial expressions when I would read to them. It seemed as if they recognized the story and gained a sense of calm hearing the words and sounds that were familiar.



From the First 5 California Website:
  • Kids start developing communication skills from the moment they're born. Newborns quickly begin to recognize important sounds in their environment, such as their parents' voices. 
  • As they grow, babies start recognizing the sounds that form language, such as the way syllables, words, and sentences work.
As my sons have grown, our bedtime stories has been a constant routine. Most nights we can't go to bed without our family reading together. Sometimes when we've had late night family activities, our boys won't go to sleep unless we read a book.

Here's my 2nd born at about two years old reading his favorite ABC Food book:



Because of the reading culture we've built in out home, our boys, ages 5 and 7, love to read. Whether it's a physical book like their favorites Diary of A Wimpy Kid and Discovery Kids or reading apps like Reading Rainbow, our boys have developed a love for reading. Sometimes I read, sometimes they read, or other times we take turns reading. The important part is that we read together.

First 5 California website as a great resource for activities for newborns, babies, toddlers and preschoolers. There’s a whole section on things that parents can do with their kids to help stimulate the mind. The experts at First 5 California refer to the brain as a muscle that needs exercise.

Talk. Read. Sing® is an initiative from First 5 California which emphasizes “working out” the brain with your little ones through talking, reading and singing regularly. New research tells us that babies form the brain connections that determine how they learn, think and grow from the moment they're born. That's why it's so important to talk, read and sing to your child every day, from day one.

Here's baby DJ talking about our home team the San Diego Chargers:



I also love singing with my boys. From a very early age, my boys' grandparents would teach them cute songs with little dances. Here are my two boys singing and hamming it up for the camera!



Not only is Talk. Read. Sing® important for brain exercise for our little ones, it also allows us to build foundations of learning with our children early.

Please visit First 5 California for more suggestions on how to  Talk. Read. Sing® with your children.

How do you “talk/read/sing” to your little ones on a daily basis?