Articles Education Parenting

The Benefits of Reading to Your Children

reading

Children’s stories are for more than entertainment. Taking time to read often solidifies your bond with your child and creates a successful foundation for the future.

Parents love curling up next to their child with a fun book and spending quality time reading and learning together. For parents who have not experienced this joy, it is never too late, and a world of possibilities awaits. 

Reading to children helps them think, learn, and prepare for a successful future. When school begins, it is evident to teachers which pupils have been read to and which pupils have lacked this experience. It is usually obvious because of their maturity of speech and knowledge of everyday interactions.

Parents Should Start Reading Early

When babies hear the sound of their parent’s voice, it soothes and calms them. This is a voice that they have been listening to since they were in the womb, and the rhythm and flow of the voice are familiar and comforting. All but 10% of brain development occurs before the age of five, and proper stimulation prepares the brain for the demands of early years education. Therefore, we strongly advise that you read with your babies and toddlers as much as you can.

Interactions with Others

Having been exposed to more information and life experiences, children who are well-read have better interactions in the real world. When a child is read to about a boy who is made fun of but learns to stand up for himself, that child has a better understanding of what to do in a similar situation. Books about sharing, values, and empathy provide great foundations to teach children how to interact with others.

Language Development

Reading promotes the root for language. It’s the rhythm that stimulates the language centres in the brain. Remembering that language is context, sentences, grammar, and words, a child gets a head-start in understanding these things, which will be of benefit later on. At around 2 to 3 years old, children’s verbal abilities and vocabulary grow tremendously, and the continued, consistent reading of books during this stage will supply them with all the words and sentences they need.

Lengthens Attention Span

A general rule is that a person’s attention span is their age in minutes plus a further two. For instance, a four-year-old can keep his attention on one specific thing for about six minutes before he gets distracted. With years of practice, adults are able to go beyond their age in minutes and pay attention to something for hours. Unless children practise sitting in one spot and giving their attention to one thing, this skill will never be cultivated. Of course, there are some children who will fidget whether they are focused or not, and this may not be of their choosing. 

Reading to Children is More Than Entertainment

By reading to them, parents and carers provide those children with an advantage. Reading early and forming a strong bond sets the stage for healthy social interactions, high IQs, and extensive vocabularies. Other factors can either encourage or discourage this growth, but overall, reading has a dramatic effect on a child’s development.

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