To support infant development, states can encourage parents to read, sing, and tell stories with their children

Did you know that one of the best ways to promote young children’s development doesn’t have to cost a thing? When parents and other caregivers read, sing, and tell stories to their children, amazing things happen in the child’s brain! And in the families!

Reading to infants supports their emergent literacy skills, increases parents’ positive views of the bonds they share with their infants, and fosters infants’ cognitive and socioemotional intelligence. Similarly, singing to infants can soothe them and reduce their stress levels, while storytelling can improve recall ability among young children more than story-reading.