You probably know that reading with your baby is important. But do you know why? There’s a long list of reasons, but today let’s focus on one of the most important of them all: the development of a rich vocabulary. Your baby learns new words through exposure. But the truth is that most of our day to day experiences can be a little mundane. That’s where books come in. Take a moment to consider this lovely father-daughter read aloud and all of the new language introduced. It’s not unreasonable to think this family might have a pet - likely a dog or a cat. But consider all the other animal words here, for example, that may not be a part of their daily experience. In just this short snippet alone, father and daughter discuss lambs, sheep, kittens, bunnies, monkeys, and lion cubs. Notice how dad makes a point of repeating the word “lamb” as our hero interacts with the fuzzy woolen material embedded in the board book. Notice too how he uses the opportunity to introduce additional words (ball and yarn) inspired by the pictures, even when not included in the text itself. In a little over a minute, dad introduces his daughter to a whole collection of words that they’d be unlikely to have discussed were it not for this time spent reading together. Now imagine the impact of daily reading over a period of years. Research consistently links vocabulary size with long term academic success. A rich vocabulary is also a tremendous advantage as children learn to read for themselves. Reading isn’t the only way to expose young children to a rich and varied vocabulary, of course. But it sure is a great one. Read with your children daily. It’s an investment in their future that you’ll never regret. This stellar example was shared to IG by lelah_and_lou.