Look at it this way: When readymade entertainment comes easily to kids (for example television), they don't need to "seek" mental activities such as reading and other hobbies that can stretch their minds exponentially.

By teaching your child to love reading, you're opening and broadening her mind, making her think, and giving her a supremely intellectual headstart in life.

Dhruti Alve, a teacher and mother of two agrees, "The reading habit is the best gift you can give your children." She says, "Each time your child opens a book and reads, she's developing a perception and an opinion. You'll notice that most people who read as children are filled with fond nostalgia of their childhoods - books give meaning to childhood, make characters and events come alive in one's mind, and enhance creative thinking because one is forced to imagine!"

The Benefits of the Printed Word

Dr. Spock and Dr. Needleman (authors of the bestselling international parenting bible, Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care) say (in an article on www.drspock.com): "Stories are the building blocks of imagination. Children take bits and pieces of the stories they hear and use them in their own make-believe."

The experts believe that books help teach character and are one of the best ways children learn about right and wrong. They also state that reading aloud keeps interest high; and builds listening skills and vocabulary.

When to start:

It's never too early to start reading. So make the most of all milestones to instil a love of reading and learning in your child. Before you randomly pick out a colourful book off the shelves of a bookstore, consider your child's age and preferences at that milestone.