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Reading to your child begins a whole new world for them. They can meet new people, visit new places and begin a learning process that will last them a lifetime.

Start with very simple books. The more you read a book to a child the faster they will begin to pick up on the words. Simple books make it very easy for your child to follow along. They not only understand the story but will begin to understand the words and their meanings too.

Books with lots of pictures can also help a child in the learning process. They can see the picture and hear the words. This begins teaching them word association. Associate the word house with a picture of a house. Now they are beginning to understand and can associate that with their own house and the other homes in your neighborhood.

Read the same book over and over again to your child. Repetition is one of the best ways for anyone to learn. By hearing the same book over and over they begin to pick up on the story line. The start to understand the meaning of each word and how they fit together to make a story they enjoy to hear. By doing this will you find that during the day children are repeating the story to themselves. They will begin to use it in their everyday play.

Reading to your child opens up avenues that they may never venture down in real life. Teaching your child that a book is fun to read can give them something that will continue to teach them for all their life. Read a good book and create a new world and you will have a lifetime of enjoyment.

Submitted by Nicole