Now you guys know I am the biggest advocate for helping your baby to enjoy movement early on, due to the positive association we know it has on academic performance.

Baby’s learn how to learn as they learn how to move..... it’s kind of my mantra.

But #titbittuesday looks a little different today. There’s something else that’s even more important than nurturing motor-skills in your baby when it comes to influencing their capacity to learn……..

There is no app that can replace your lap

Or in this case the floor next to your lap, when you are 500 weeks pregnant....  I LOVE this photo. It’s so Frasey and I. And just before Alfie arrived on the scene when it was a little easier to read a book of my own. I also think it’s actually the one time in the last four years I was actually reading a book of my own.

So not exactly a physio-related post today, but I thought you guys wouldn’t mind

It’s |READING WITH YOUR BABY| for today’s blog. 

Now I’ll be honest here. I’ve let a lot of things slide with my mothering since having Alfie. He’s my littlest baby and has me wrapped around his little finger. It’s not good. I know this. But he also doesn’t get nearly as much time with me just ‘playing’ with him, like I did with Frasey at the same age. 

Frasey and I would spend hours building towers, playing shops, doing puzzles and digging in the sand pit. Alfie still does all these things.....but without supervision. 

I have the full-on guilts about it. 

He’s fine. He’s having fun with his brother (sometimes), spends 75% of the day attached to my hip (okay 100%), and is happy as Larry (unless he’s not)..... 

But there is ONE thing I haven’t let slide. It’s reading stories to him. And he adores it. 

Reading and storytelling with your child promotes brain development and imagination, teaches your child about language and emotions, and strengthens your relationship.

Alfie’s attention span is.... improving..... I think at the same age Fraser was probably into War and Peace whereas Alfie and I are still stuck on Spot....but we read Spot (and a few others) 1000 times over, and I’ll read them 1000 times more for you Snowy, as it is the one time in the day where I can guarantee a snuggle, and some quiet time in our hectic day.

Frase and I have just started reading little chapter books together. We have just finished a kid’s version of The Wizard of Oz and I’m in heaven. I have always loved reading myself, so this is my outlet too, as whenever I try to read my own books these days I generally pass out after a few pages because #babydontsleep and #mumlife.

I know each family will have their own routines and rituals about how they love to connect with their kids. I totally get reading the same book at the end of a long day isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. (I mean who doesn’t skip a few lines here and there….it’s a true art, especially as they get to about Fraser’s age…...’Mummy, did you SKIP a page?!’)

But I thought this round-up of the research from www.better-beginnings.com.au was pretty interesting and might spur you on if you’re not a reader.... 

Reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for building the skills and knowledge necessary for children to successfully learn to read when they begin school.  Children who are good readers are usually successful learners.

And this:

In 2012 the Australian Early Development Census showed that 17.3% of five year old children in Western Australia are developmentally vulnerable or at risk in their language and cognitive skills.

And finally this:

There are strong links between literacy school performance, self esteem, and life chances with poor literacy skills being linked with lower education, earnings, health, and social outcomes.

So why not aim for 1 book a day with your baby and see if it can grow from there? A baby is never too young to hear a story from Mummy or Daddy. And as much as I value all of the above research, the thing I personally love most about reading with my kids is that it is the one time in our day where I can guarantee my boys get all of me. No distractions. No washing. No Instagram. No running around in circles trying to get stuff done.

Just my babies on my lap and a book. I hope they remember these moments fondly forever.

I know I absolutely will.

Love Alana xx ‍‍