Snuggle up with a good book-and with somebody who can't read one yet!

When you read to your baby-and it's never too early to start-you're not only providing stimulation for her fast-growing mind, you're wrapping her in warm bonds of love and making learning pleasurable.

Cuddling with your baby over a book gives both of you important bonding time together and creates structures in her brain that she'll need long before she enters school.

The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child notes that though we've always known that parents, caregivers and other adults are important in a child's life, "new evidence shows that these relationships actually shape brain circuits and lay the foundation for later developmental outcomes, from academic performance to mental health and interpersonal skills."

Make Reading a Daily Brain-Development Habit

Carve out time to read with your child every day. It doesn't even matter what you read to your infant. If you're holding her and speaking in a loving voice, you could even practice the presentation you plan to give tomorrow at work-she won't mind.

What's most important, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, is for reading to become an activity that brings kids closer to the caring adults in their lives. Reading aloud to children...

• Stimulates the imagination.
• Fosters language development.
• Promotes reading skills.
• Prepares them for success in school.
• Inspires a love of books.

Why Reading Makes for Brainier Kids

• Reading to children from birth is the single most important thing parents can do to prepare their children for school, research shows. Children whose parents read to them tend to become better readers and perform better in school, says the U.S. Department of Education.
• Reading helps your infant learn faster. In one study, infants who were read to regularly starting at 6 months had a 40 percent increase in their ability to understand words by the time they were 18 months old. Infants who were not read to showed only a 16 percent increase.
• The degree to which your baby hears language before she turns 3 actually can predict the success she'll have later in school. It's important that she get a wealth of positive and articulate conversation that includes questions and also lets her decide what happens next in the conversation or story.
• If your family likes to tell stories and sing songs together, that's another great way to encourage your child's literacy skills.

Looking for ways to make reading more fun for everyone? Download helpful information such as the booklet Shining Stars: Toddlers Get Ready to Read from the National Institute for Literacy at nifl.gov.