Language and speech development of a child is a complex process that is considered a social phenomenon, and it develops exclusively in the conditions of the human environment. The child's family, the parents, play the biggest role in speech development. Factors that additionally influence language and speech development are educators and the child's environment. Reading at an early age is one of the key stimuli for speech development. By reading, we influence the cognitive world of the child, the development of language and speech, the ability to remember develops, we enrich the child's vocabulary and satisfy the child's need for something new. Likewise, reading has multiple effects on socio-emotional development. The picture book, as the first book a child encounters, has an important role and influence on language and speech development. The fundamental purpose and goal of this work was to examine the habits and attitudes of parents about reading to children at an early age and to find out how often and in what way they read to their children. The research was conducted using an online form - a questionnaire in which 130 parents of early and preschool children participated. The research revealed that the majority of parents have a habit of reading to their children, but with varying intensity.