Nati per leggere (NpL) is a national reading aloud project, founded in Italy at the beginning of the 2000s as a partnership between: Associazione Culturale Pediatri (ACP), Associazione Italiana Biblioteche (AIB) and Centro per la Salute del Bambino (CSB).

NPL’s goal is creating a dialogue-based bond between adults and children,  offering them an environment filled with stimuli and sharing, by reading aloud to children between 6 months and 6 years of age.

Every child has the right to be protected against diseases and abuse, and also against the lack of suitable occasions of emotional and cognitive development; a mutual and constant dialogue is required, listening to one another is essential, and enjoy reading not as a “good parenting” duty, but rather as a magical moment of shared involvement and closeness - while listening to stories that enthral both children and adults alike - is vital.

Scientific studies have shown how reading aloud, with a certain continuity, to preschool children has a positive effect both on the relationship (it is a chance of bonding between child and parents), and from a cognitive standpoint (by helping develop language understanding, reading skills, attention and comprehension abilities); what’s more, it consolidates the habit of reading in children, which is then continued later on, thanks to the early imprinting tied to the relationship.

Reading to our children is a precious gift, because it offers them a moment of mutual sharing and knowledge: it means cuddling them with our voice, giving them a little bit of ourselves.

Reading to children is a way to discover the pleasure of being together, feeding the emotional relationship, learning to talk to them, communicate and share discoveries and emotions, by playing and having fun with the stories.

An adult’s voice telling a story is a loving embrace of words.

Reading to children reminds us of when we were little like them, and reading was a pleasure, rather than an obligation: a gift made by the persons who read with us.

Reading with our children makes us reconnect to the book differently, because it reminds us that a book speaks to us, beyond the story it tells, and that lending our voice to other people’s words can be a way to make them ours and communicate to whoever is listening.

Reading to find ourselves, get to know each other and grow TOGETHER, children and adults alike.

For more info, see the national project website, www.natiperleggere.it