The Read Aloud Factor: How to Create the Habit That Boosts Your Baby's Brain

by Rekha S. Rajan

Overview

We have always known that reading aloud is an important way to bond with your baby and develop language skills.

Now neuroscience research is showing us the long-term benefit that reading aloud has for children—all the way into adulthood. Author Rekha S. Rajan was part of current research that shows individuals who were read to more frequently as children had a measurably healthier brain in old age.

This innovative and accessible book incorporates the latest research on brain development, describes how reading aloud supports language and social-emotional development, and gives parents and caretakers what they need to make read alouds a regular and enjoyable part of the family routine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641608749
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/25/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	857 KB

About the Author

Rekha S. Rajan, EdD, has been an educator for over twenty years and is a nationally recognized STEAM expert. She holds a doctorate in music education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and has masters degrees in both music education and early childhood education. Rajan's work has been featured with NPR, the National Head Start Association, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the California Alliance for Arts Education, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the author of multiple books and articles on how the arts, reading, and home-based experiences support children's development, and has several forthcoming children's titles. She lives in Chicago, IL.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Part I: Why Read Aloud: How Reading Aloud Supports Your Child’s Development
1. The Benefits of Reading Aloud for Brain Development
2. The Benefits of Reading Aloud for Language Development
3. The Benefits of Reading Aloud for Social-Emotional Development
Part II: Six Stages of reading Aloud: From Birth Through School-Age
4. Stage 1: The Listener (Pregnancy to Two Months)
5. Stage 2: The Observer (Two to Four Months)
6. Stage 3: The Cooer (Four to Eight Months)
7. Stage 4: The Babbler (Eight to Twelve Months)
8. Stage 5: The Boss (One to three-Year-Olds)
9. Stage 6: The Storyteller (Preschooler)
Part III: Steam Reading: Bringing Arts and Technology into the Read-Aloud Routine
10. Using Music
11. Using Art
12. Using Technology
Part IV: In Conversation
Resources
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

“Dr. Rajan's insightful book shows us why reading with our babies and young children is developmentally essential and truly joyful. I hope parents all over the country and world will read this book!” —Eric Litwin, New York Times bestselling author of Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes

“Reading aloud is the key to healthy development right from the start of life. Babies benefit in many ways by hearing the sound of their loved ones reading. Not only is there love in the reading aloud experience, there is the foundation for neural, linguistic, and social development. The Read Aloud Factor is a joy to read and full of insight. Dr. Rajan affirms the primacy of early years for a lifetime of positive outcomes. We honour children by reading aloud from the beginning.” —Raffi Cavoukian, CM, OBC, singer, author, Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring

"Reading aloud builds listening, imagining, and reading skills; it also builds a love for books in children. Children who are read to from birth have a huge advantage in school over their peers who miss these formative years. Rajan's book clearly explains why reading aloud is so important to the developing brain. I urge all parents to make the time to read to their children." —Alan Boyko, former president, Scholastic Book Fairs

"Everyone should read this book—perhaps even out loud to a child." —Booklist Starred Review

"A must, chock-full of usable ideas and recommended reads and sure to be a favorite for parents of preschoolers." — Library Journal starred review

From the Publisher

★ 11/01/2022

Reading aloud to children expands their vocabulary by a million words before kindergarten, actually changing the shape of the brain. Rajan (Musical Theater in Schools) details how to feed a child's brain with words, language, and interactions. She also explains how to make the most of read-aloud time by choosing the most beneficial books and using technology effectively. Utilizing a takeout menu to learn sight words, reading the same books over and over to increase brain activity, and labeling items around the house are a few of the suggestions given for a biblio-rich home environment. Each chapter incorporates book recommendations, STEAM activities for every age level, and ideas for making cross-connections with art, music, and technology. This work also contains gender-fluid, nonbinary resources to jump-start understanding important topics, such as Black Lives Matter, and it introduces new languages and suggestions for bilingual families. VERDICT A must, chock-full of usable ideas and recommended reads and sure to be a favorite for parents of preschoolers.

Library Journal