The Read Aloud Factor: How To Create the Habit That Boosts Your Baby’s Brain

Reading aloud to children expands their vocabulary by a million words before kindergarten, actually changing the shape of the brain. Rajan (Musical Theater in Schools) details how to feed a child’s brain with words, language, and interactions. She also explains how to make the most of read-aloud time by choosing the most beneficial books and using technology effectively. Utilizing a takeout menu to learn sight words, reading the same books over and over to increase brain activity, and labeling items around the house are a few of the suggestions given for a biblio-rich home environment. Each chapter incorporates book recommendations, STEAM activities for every age level, and ideas for making cross-connections with art, music, and technology. This work also contains gender-fluid, nonbinary resources to jump-start understanding important topics, such as Black Lives Matter, and it introduces new languages and suggestions for bilingual families.