With so many kids focused on technology lately, most parents become concerned about their child’s development and creative thinking as they get older. With tablets, phones and TV taking up so much of their attention there is a slight concern that your child might end up like Mike Teavee from Roald Dahls’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
That’s why it is important to get a book, be it a kindle or a hardcopy, and take some time to read to your child. When you start reading to your children from a younger age, ideally from kindergarten, it will positively affect their development and skills development much earlier than other children.
“Oh, books, what books they used to know, Those children living long ago! So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install A lovely bookshelf on the wall.” – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Here are just some of the reasons why you should read to your child from a young age:
Get them on the path to success
Reading to children lets them absorb knowledge and expand their minds. If you start reading to them from when they are babies or toddlers they will have a head start when they start school later in life and will be better prepared for it.
The earlier you read to them the sooner they can start to learn how to read for themselves. Not only is reading an incredibly important skill for a child, it can be an enjoyable experience for them as well. A child that enjoys reading will do better with their language subjects and any other subjects as well.
Develop their language skills
Parents talk to their children every day, and as a parent you will notice that the vocabulary that you use to communicate with each other is rather repetitive. Reading to your child however, will expose them to a whole new vocabulary and words and phrases that they wouldn’t usually hear in their daily lives.
If your child speaks more than one language, getting them to read or reading to them will help them with their fluency and language skills development.
Give your child’s brain a workout
When reading to your child, their brain activity will be affected and they will be given a much needed boost to convince them to develop their reading skills early on in life.
Language development in children can be heavily affected if you read to them and encourage them to start reading from an early age. It gives their brain a well-deserved workout and gets them thinking about things and broadens their imaginations early on in life.
Improve their concentration
Children are easily distracted; this is especially true for toddlers. So while you might think that reading to them from such a young age where they are only interested in turning the pages and flipping through the pictures, reading to them is still a very important task.
If you make sure to read to your child on a daily basis and keep a constant time and place for reading, it will help your child develop their concentration skills and teach them how to sit still for long periods of time. Teaching them this will also make them more ready for when they start going to school.
Develop a thirst for knowledge
When you read to your child they will most likely want to ask you questions about what you are reading to them and the story itself. Kids love to ask questions, and an inquisitive mind is a mind that want to learn and grow.
Reading to your kids will help them develop a thirst for knowledge; use this opportunity to create a learning experience for your child. It might also help them develop interest in other fields such as different languages and cultures.
Explore a world of pure imagination
A wonderful benefit to reading to your child from an early age is getting to see their imagination and creativity grow. As the reader you have to put yourself in the shoes of the characters and imagine what they are doing.
The reality of the characters becomes your own reality and you can see first-hand the excitement on your child’s face as they wait and see what happens next as you continue to read to them.
Try to ask them what they think is going to happen next as you read the story to them. It will make them feel like they are a part of the adventure as well. It will also help them develop a sense of empathy as they learn more about the main characters of the story and their experiences.
Reading can strengthen your relationship
There is no better feeling than having your little one cuddle up to you as you read to them. Spending time by talking to each other and reading to them will bring you closer to your children.
Parents are very busy and have to work most of the time, so spending time by reading to your children can help you wind down, relax and create a special bond with each other that will last for a long time.
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