By Metro Creative

Reading is a beloved pastime that can positively affect cognitive health and even help to reduce stress.

During the holiday season, families can pick up favorites such as “The Night Before Christmas” or “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” to read as a family.

According to the Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, an affiliate of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, infants pick up on language earlier than researchers once realized and hearing language is important as their brains prepare them to speak. Reading also supports word learning and preliteracy skills.

The ECLKC notes that when adults read to children, they typically speak words they would not otherwise use in typical discourse. That helps children expand their vocabularies, even before they learn to read on their own.