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Published on January 12, 2008

Do you know that babies as young as six months old enjoy benefits when you read a book to them?

Many studies have confirmed this, and Arporn Somprasertsuk doesn't hesitate when it comes to reading to her own child.

"I believe in the power of reading," the mother said.

Arporn used to work in the children's book industry, and knows exactly which books

to choose for her daughter Aim.

"I started reading to Aim when she was six months old using board and cloth books due to their durability. A girl at that age loves grasping and playing with books," she said. "As Aim was growing up, I also familiarised her with picture books. I chose simple stories for her at first".

By the age of two, Aim started to show her love of reading. Instead of waiting for her mother to pick up a book, Aim would choose a book by herself for her mother to read to her at bedtime.

"I appreciate that because reading sparks an interest in learning and expands one's horizons," Arporn said.

The mother insisted she never regretted the time she spent to inculcate the reading habit in her daughter, who is now seven years old.

"I don't think it takes too much time for parents to read to their children. Reading time is precious time which parents can share with their children," Arporn said.

At a young age, Aim was not allowed to watch TV.

According to Arporn, several foreign studies have found that many cases of autism and attention-deficit disorder can be attributed to children getting heavy TV exposure from birth to the age of three.

Aim is now a seven-year-old girl with imagination and inspirations. She retains what she reads and can recall and recite with good reorganisation of words.

"Her reading hobby also allows me to teach her about discipline and cleanness. I have assigned her to keep her book corner in good order," Arporn said.

Today, Aim reads books not just from her personal corner but also her mother's bookshelves. She is now reading the Thai version of 'Little House in the Big Woods'.

"I often take my daughter to bookstores so she can choose books she is interested in. I also buy books for her on special occasions such as her birthday," Arporn said.

While reading has many benefits, mothers like Arporn are rare in Thailand. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development found that 74 per cent of 15-year-old Thais had low reading skills.

"It's a shocking figure. All children can read basic stories but most can't grasp the meaning of complicated stories," Chulalongkorn University lecturer Amornwich Nakornthap said. He also heads the Ramjitti Institute.

Amornwich said parents need to play a vital role in encouraging a love for reading when children are very young.

"A survey shows that capable students love reading and they are usually the ones whose parents prepared book corners for them when they were young," he added.

Amornwich emphasised that reading was very important because it affects one's performances in various fields.

"Poor reading skills affect academic performances, which in turn affect the human-resources quality. If the overall human resource quality is not good, the country suffers in the long run," he said.

According to the Ramjitti Institute, children are reading more this year compared with 2005 and 2006. However, the reading trend may be short-lived as Thai youths are more and more exposed to various other media such as TV, the Internet and mobile phones.

Somroutai Sapsomboon

The Nation