Knowledge is gained by reading. This is one gift that you can share with your kids, young and old. The best way to start is by making books a part of their life. Develop their love for reading and soon you will see its many benefits. A study was conducted in the Rhode Island Hospital comparing two groups of children that are eight months of age. The result shows that the group of kids that were read to often are more receptive than the non-read group. This is just one of the benefits of reading regularly to your kids. There are more.
Reading can develop your children’s communication skills. When we read aloud to our kids, we feed them with words and ideas which will allow them to express themselves better. Toddlers learn how to use the words that they hear. They learn the alphabet and the sounds of each letter.
Your bond with your kids is strengthened through reading. They experience intimacy and the feeling of being loved because you are giving them your undivided attention. Reading will allow you to slow down with your daily chores and just relax with your kids over a book. They will grow up and develop that positive attitude towards books and reading because it will remind them of that happy and stress-free place on your lap or in your arms.
Reading can improve your child’s concentration and focus. Toddlers are known for being extremely active and they can get squirmy. Through regular reading, they learn to stay put until the story is over. Their attention span becomes longer and there is better memory retention. These will be beneficial for him when he finally goes to school.
Books contain a lot of things — stories, detailed illustrations and ideas that can open a whole new world for them. With reading, you allow them to let their minds wander through imagination and this is wheretheir creativity is developed.
Reading can develop your child’s logical thinking skills. Young as they are, you are already exposing them to certain abstract ideas and you allow them to think logically. They learn cause and effect and the ability to use good judgment on several scenarios.
As your kids grow old, they experience new scenarios that might lead him into feeling anxious and scared. A good story that is related to what he’s experiencing can help your child cope with this fear. For example, it is your child’s first visit to the dentist. If it’s his first time, he will more likely don’t know what to expect and this can be scary for him. What you can do is to read him a book about dentists and what they do. This will help him realize that there is nothing to be afraid of and that dentists are our friends.
There is no hard or fast rule about when to start reading to your kids. You can do it as early as the time when they are able to hear inside the womb or as soon as the baby is out. Just make sure that you do it regularly. Give them variety too. You can get pop up books, board books and even tactile books that will allow them to experience different textures. Make the reading activity fun. After all, reading shouldn’t be a chore but something that you want them to enjoy as they grow older.
