Babies aren’t born smart — they’re made smart.

And what makes them smart is simpler than you think.

Research proves that language has unmatched power to build a baby’s brain. The number of words a young child hears, and the tone and meaning of those words, is crucial to the way the brain develops.

Need some help getting started? Try this and listen.

Repetition is key. You will get tired of reading the same story long before your child will get tired of hearing it. Keep reading it anyway.

So give Mother Goose, "Goodnight Moon" or "Five Little Monkeys" another read-through.

Research that Suskind and her team at the University of Chicago have done supports research that indicates that the more words a young child hears, the stronger the connections in that child’s brain will be. Children who hear fewer words before age 3 face challenges in developing language and reading skills they will need to succeed in school.

For more advice, check out TMW Tips: Building Your Baby's Brain, linked here.