Make Your Child a Millionaire…In Words
One misconception that many new parents have is that they shouldn't be concerned about talking with their babies and young children until they start talking back. While this seems intuitive, brain and reading research emphatically recommends a far more active approach to talking.
Talking to babies and young children as much as you possibly can will not only enrich your bond with them, but it will also build their brains into elite language-learning machines.
In fact, a growing amount of research points to a "word gap" (fewer words spoken to a growing child) between low-income and higher-income families as one factor for lower school achievement and reading abilities. When families focus on talking more with their babies and young children, they can have a significant positive impact on future learning. Simply put: the more words you give a growing child, the better they will be able to understand, communicate, and operate in the world.
In Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain: Tune In, Talk More, Take Turns, Dr. Dana Suskind gives a user-friendly overview of brain research - and easy, practical ways that parents, caregivers, and teachers can include more talking in their time with babies and young children.
If you don't have time for the full read, check out the Thirty Million Words Initiative web site for videos and helpful tips.
