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Reading a bedtime story to your child is a tradition that goes beyond bonding time. Not only sparking their love for reading, it can also play a vital role in their long-term success.

"By age three, 85% of brain development is complete," says Melissa Tigges, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Cottage Door Press. "So, waiting until school to start a love of reading is too late."

Early reading leads to academic success, improved mental health, longer life expectancy. But Tigges adds those aren't the only benefits. "There's vocabulary growth, the stimulation of creativity and imagination.... Children that are read to from birth tend to have exposure to a million more words than children who are not read to from birth.

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