According to the National Institutes of Health, by the time a child reaches age 5, his or her brain is 90% developed.

That makes it essential for parents to help bolster young minds by speaking directly with their children, even in infancy. And according to Pikes Peak Library District early literacy specialist Evan Childress, even some of the most well-meaning parents don’t do it often enough.

“Most parents don’t talk directly to their young children as much as they think they do, and that spans the socioeconomic spectrum,” Childress said. “Even some of the most educated adults are not talking to their children as much as they think they are.”

The more words children hear, even when they cannot talk back, the quicker they develop building blocks of language like listening, speaking and

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