If you have kids still at the age that beg you to read them stories every night, the same story, then read on!

Woman reading to young girl
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My daughter Joelle, 19, loved "Duck for President"  Every night for at least a year and 1/2 it was what she wanted to hear.  If you ever tried to skip a page-forget, right?

So, why do kids like certain books, and WHY the repetition?

newly published study gives some insight into what may be happening inside young children's brains in each of those situations. And, says lead author Dr. John Hutton, there is an apparent "Goldilocks effect" — some kinds of storytelling may be "too cold" for children, while others are "too hot." And, of course, some are "just right."

Hutton is a researcher and pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital with a focus on children's literacy and the process of reading. Cool thing they found was that for certain ages it's better to read an illustrated book versus relying on an audiobook.

Why?  There are actually things that happen in your child's brain when they see words and pictures.

Most importantly, in the illustrated book condition, researchers saw increased connectivity between — and among — all the networks they were looking at: visual perception, imagery, default mode and language.

 

Plus, reading to your kids can be the best excuse to snuggle. :-).

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