During early childhood, regularly reading to your child is essential for optimizing their development. This part of their life is remarkable because of their rapid growth and learning as they quickly absorb the information around them. Witnessing their experiences is truly amazing and awe-inspiring. Even babies enjoy being read to and reap tremendous benefits from parents who read to them regularly.
Personally, the first time I read to each of my babies was the day after we came home from the hospital. I wanted to be sure that my children were exposed to lots of language, even when they were only days old. For babies, hearing language is extremely important to their cognitive development. My husband and I still prioritize reading to all 3 children before they go to bed at night.
Benefits of reading to your child
If you didn’t start reading to your baby right away – it’s not too late. Start reading to your child every night as soon as possible though. Here’s just a few reasons it’s so important to establish a reading routine in your family.
Improves Language development
Reading to your child helps your child’s language development and vocabulary. Reading to your child every day exposes them to lots of language and vocabulary. They also make the associations from words to sounds and pictures much earlier in life; and they will likely be more ready to read at an earlier age than many of their peers.
The ability for children to be able to read cannot be stressed enough. Children must be able to read fluently and comprehend what they are reading by 3rd grade. Before 3rd grade, children learn to read. After 3rd grade children read to learn and their success for the rest of school is largely dependent upon this one skill. Children who do not learn to read well by 3rd grade tend to struggle in classes, may lose self-esteem, and are more likely to drop out of high school.
It’s also important to make sure children are comprehending the books you are reading to them. Discuss the pictures on the page with them and ask open ended questions that get them talking about the characters in the book. This makes it more fun and engaging, and they will use their imaginations more and learn to use language while they are discussing the story with you.
Increases Imagination
Reading increases your child’s imagination. Reading books helps children develop imagination and creativity. Through reading books, children are presented with new information, thoughts, ideas, and behaviors. Sadly, imagination is losing its foothold with many children around the world with the introduction of tablets. I love to encourage parents to bring imagination back to childhood through books, connection, and play.
There are so many benefits to children letting their imaginations run wild. Imagination helps children learn social skills and empathy as they are pretending to be someone else and experiencing how that person may feel. Children learn creativity as the sky is the limit in the world of imagination. Children may learn different communication styles as they imitate teachers, parents, friends, and characters. They also learn to make up their own characters and act out different scenarios.
Reading to Your Child Builds Connection
Reading books with your child helps you build a better connection and relationship with your child. What better way to bond with your child, than curling up with a book with them? Getting into the routine of reading a few books each night can be the highlight of your day and your child’s. You can bring back your inner child by using silly voices to emphasize certain characters. Your children can also come up with some crazy conversation starters and questions if you spur conversation around the plot lines and pictures. The Power of Connection with Your Child is one of the most crucial aspects of parenting, and reading to your child is a fantastic way to connect every day.
Reading time is great cuddle time, which you may not get as much as they get older. My 6-year-old doesn’t sit on my lap as much as she used to, and as a parent, I often miss it. Reading is a great way to establish and rekindle that bond again with your child each night.
Helps Brain development
Reading to your child helps your child’s brain development. According to a study done by Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, “In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second.”[1]
That’s truly incredible! In early childhood, children are making 1 MILLION brain connections every second. So many neural connections are being made during the time it takes to read a book to a young child. “Reading regularly with young children stimulates optimal patterns of brain development, which helps build strong pathways in the brain and in turn builds language, literacy, and social-emotional skills that can have life-long health benefits.”[2]
Reading is one of the best ways to tap into and make the best of the crazy amount of brain development that is going on during those early years and throughout childhood.
Encourages Life-Long Learning
Reading to your child encourages them to be a life-long learner. Reading to children increases the chances they will enjoy learning throughout their entire life. If they have great memories of bonding with their parents from reading early in life, they’ll be much more likely to continue reading as adults. Reading is the source to all kinds of knowledge, whether or not you choose to attend a university. We are tied to all of the wisdom and knowledge in the world through reading books.
Our children embark on so many new adventures and experiences during their first few years of life. They are learning at an incredible pace that we can’t even begin to comprehend. By dedicating the time to read to your child each day, you both will reap the rewards of this priceless habit, now and in the future. Start your reading journey with your child today and see where this new adventure takes you!
[1] Center on the Developing Child (2007). The Science of Early Childhood Development (InBrief). Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-science-of-ecd/
[2] Northfield Hospital Clinis (2017). Reading to Young Children Helps Develop Their Brains. Retrieved from https://www.northfieldhospital.org/reading-young-children-helps-develop-their-brains.