Literacy Through Lip-Reading

There’s a whole host of reasons to read, sing, and talk with your babies every day, from sharing a special bonding moment together to helping build their literacy skills, and now a new study about the speech development of infants confirms it: your babies learn to talk by listening to (and watching) you!

It’s not only the sounds of speech that helps teach babies how to talk. A recent study at the Florida Atlantic University shows that at around six months old, babies begin watching our mouths rather than our eyes as we speak to them. By essentially lip-reading, they start to figure out how to make those shapes and sounds on their own. At around one year old, they will start making eye contact again when spoken to, unless they encounter a new language, when they might watch lips more closely again.

So when you’re talking and singing to your babies, reading aloud to them, or bringing them to storytimes at the library, keep in mind that all of these interactions contribute to their literacy, helping them learn to speak and eventually read.

Read more about the study, opens a new window and find lots of books to share with your little ones at ELPL!