It is no secret that experts recommend reading to our children. Although novels with longer stories are great, so are kids board books (which are considerably shorter and rely more on pictures than words). If you have a baby or young child and are wondering why you should read these sorts of books to them, you’ve come to the right place – here are some of our top benefits:

• Enjoy “special time” with your child
Reading to your children is a one-on-one activity that can be turned into a really special time for the both of you, particularly in the case of babies. It helps you to bond with your child and exposes them to the sound of your voice, which they find soothing.

• Improve their word knowledge base
Hearing words read allowed helps to build a rich network of words in your child’s brain. Research has shown that children whose parents regularly talk and read to them know more words by age 2 than children who have not been read to.

• Less likelihood of damage
Babies often show an interest in books by chewing or throwing them, which can cause some damage to fragile paper pages. By opting for a board book, you’ll find that it can survive this sort of wear and tear until your baby is a little older and less destructive.

• Improve their ability to talk
By the time our children reach their first birthday, they have learned all of the sounds they need to speak their native language. The more stories you read aloud, the more words they will be exposed to and the better they will be able to talk.

• Repetitive storylines are fun
You may have noticed that many board books have repetitive storylines, which might sound boring to an adult but make it fun, engaging and easier to remember for children. Reading to your kids is a great way to inspire a love of books that will stay with them.

• Aids with a restful night’s sleep
By incorporating some calm, unhurried reading into your child’s bedtime routine, you can actually help them to have a restful night’s sleep. This can be a soothing and comforting activity, but be warned that it can take a few tries before you establish a rhythm.

• Connecting words to images
As our children see a picture of something in the book and you name it, they will begin to make the connection between what you say and the picture they see. The more you read that story, the stronger the connection grows and the more it stays with them.

At this age, your children will express excitement when a new board book is placed in front of them. At three months of age, they can move their eye muscles to take in things of interest, identify most adult coloring books and are just generally interested in looking at things.

We hope that the above list of benefits have convinced you to start reading board books with your young kids, if you don’t already of course. The sheer number of books on the market ensures that you’ll be able to find one that meets your needs, as well as the interests of your child. It’s all about trial and error – read a few stories to see what your child responds to.

Children’s board books are an important early learning tool for every young child.