Simple rhymes such as the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes are also a very good beginning reading activity for parents and their young infants to enjoy. These sessions should be short and free of stress. The use of a calm and reassuring voice may help an infant to relax and be able to get to sleep. As your child grows older, the books you choose should have phrases, which are repeated and can be supplied by your child as you read aloud. Such phrases help your young reader to understand that story language can be predicted.
Prediction is an important comprehension skill for independent reading.
Reading aloud to your child also helps the young reader to listen attentively, an important skill for later learning. This ability has been identified as a very important factor in children's reading achievement in school. Children learn many things while listening to a parent read to them. They learn that there is a left to right progression to words on a printed page. They learn that pages must be turned in order to read more of a story or poem.