New science teaches us how a child’s brain develops billions of neurons from daily positive, loving activities. This phenomenal neuron growth in turn leads to a strong brain for life. This new science is the key focus of what we share with you here at ThreeKeyYears.org. Talking, reading, playing, counting, and singing appear as simple, fun activities to do with your baby — but the brain-building impact those activities can make in strengthening a baby’s brain is truly explosive.

We know from this new science that the most critical timeframe for helping your baby build a healthy, strong brain is within the first days, weeks, months, and THREE KEY YEARS of a child’s life. This is when a child’s brain is developing billions of neurons with every loving and direct interaction they experience.

Reading is one of those activities that helps a child’s brain explode with neuron growth. Reading stimulates development that supports a child for life and builds their vocabulary so they are learning ready by age four.

Being learning ready by age four is now understood to be essential in a child’s success throughout their school years.

Many parents believe that reading is a simple, fun activity that they might try to fit into a hectic day with their children, but often it does not become a routine.

We recently discovered a great blog post from Kelly Holmes, a mom of four (their ages range 10, 4, 2, and a newborn) who shares some wonderful tips for helping to make reading time a daily habit. She recognized — from doing a ton of research on her own — how important it would be in shaping her children’s futures by adopting a regular routine of reading aloud to and with them.

We wanted to share her blog post, from parent to parent, on the benefits of regular reading time, and how to overcome some of the obstacles everyone encounters in making this a regular routine.

The benefits are extraordinary for your baby and child’s future success in school and in life. We hope you gain some insight and valuable tips from one mom’s approach to establishing a routine for reading with her children.

Author of the parenting blog Happy You, Happy Family, read mother of four, Kelly’s, post titled Want to Raise Smart, Kind Kids? Science Says Do This Every Day.

And check out the ThreeKeyYears.org Parent Toolkit for more tips on how you can help to build a stronger brain for your baby for life, beginning at birth through those crucial first Three Key Years of life and beyond.