You already know how important it is to read to your children, but this little statistic just hammers the point home, doesn’t it?! For those who aren’t read to, they’re starting school with a ‘million word gap’ when compared to their read-to peers.

We can have a HUGE impact on the language our children are exposed to be just choosing to engage them in books during the day. Books add language that often doesn’t fall into everyday chat - for example you don’t often see lions in your day to day but there’s plenty in kids books!

Reading to your children daily is fantastic for expressive language development, it increases their understanding of vocabulary, sets them up to learn to read and write and stimulates their imagination.

It’s also incredible for bonding, having fun together, relaxation and comfort.

If your child isn’t that into books - have a peek at my YouTube video about reading to your kids - there’s a strategy in there that might just makes things better for you.

So get your library cards and get into books. It’s totally fine (and actually - great) if your child wants to read the same books over and over again. Repetition builds pathways in the brain.

What books do your little ones love at the moment? Comment below to support other parents.