Why read to your kids? The short answer is to help them lead good lives.
To some parents, the above is obvious. They know reading sets up their child for a better life. But they assume teaching their kid to read is the responsibility of the schools. And, they think it is OK to wait until their children starts school to begin the learning to read process. With this approach, both parents and children miss out on some very special benefits of reading together.
Reading with your kids for ten or fifteen minutes every day will help them become good readers more quickly. And reading is so important to the future of your daughter or son. Reading is fundamental to school success, professional/work success, and life success.
Open New Worlds
Reading opens whole new worlds. Your children can learn about just any topic they are interested in if they can read. Knowing what is going on in the world, learning how to build on their strengths and work around their weaknesses, learning how to help other people, discovering new hobbies, and learning how to stay healthy all become possible with reading.
They can experience adventure and get lost in stories that take them to places they have never visited.
Draw Closer
Reading together every day draws you closer to your kids. Your daughter or son needs you. They want to be close to you. They need to spend time with you. They want to know you are always there to help them. A daily reading ritual/routine helps them with these needs and wants. It shows your son or daughter that they are a priority in your life.
Are you concerned about the world destroying the values you are trying to instill in your kids? Reading together each day establishes a bond that allows you to help them deal with negative influences around them.
Daily reading together is a great way to have fun as a family and build lasting memories.
Daily reading sessions show your child that reading is important. They will follow your example and read more on their own.
How Reading Together Helps
Reading together from an early age helps children quickly develop a large vocabulary. Reading regularly with parents can give a child a vocabulary that is millions of words larger than peers who didn’t read with their mom or dad.
Actively reading helps kids understand cause and effect. They learn cause and effect from stories and that choices and actions matter. This understanding can be help them make better decisions when they grow older. Knowing that their choices have consequences is a wonderful gift to your kids.
The Challenges of Reading Together
There are, however, several challenges to reading together every day. Our modern-day schedules are brutal. There are so many demands on out time. It may seem impossible to carve out ten to fifteen minutes at bedtime or another time during the day.
And when they are very young, expect your kids to do everything but focus on the story. They may look around, chew on the edge of a book, or drool on your tablet. That may tempt you to postpone reading until they are older. But they are listening.
When you read their favorite story for the fiftieth time, the boredom can be a struggle for you. Keep going. The repetition helps with getting the above benefits.
Challenges aside, reading together is one of the most important things you can do with your kids. Give them this special gift. You will be rewarded in many ways.
If your small child seems to struggle with reading along with you, see Dyslexia Clues
