You might constantly wonder why reading to children is essential. Well, a mother is said to be a child’s first teacher. In essence, it means that a child starts learning from its parents from the start.

Whether you are working, reading, eating, or even simply talking, when children are around, they learn things from you. For this reason, it’s vital to be careful about your words and actions around children.

If you want them to learn great things, you have to plan your interaction with them; and there is no better way than reading children’s books with them.

Let’s have a look at how it is beneficial for children.

Benefits of Reading to Children

1. Language Skills

Reading to your children from an early age helps to develop strong language and communication skills. Children learn about alphabets and numbers even before school. This allows them to learn complete sentences relatively faster.

Apart from learning to speak common words, children are more likely to pick up new vocabulary words. While reading makes children strong in vocabulary, it introduces them to the language of books, which is different from the language of our daily life.

2. Creativity and Development

No matter the type of book, they open up a whole new world to your child. Children’s storybooks have a special mention here. The illustrations and pictures on them help them figure out the story, increasing their ability to create an account of the pictures and illustrations.

They visualize the stories and characters of the books and are able to experience events and situations that have not happened to them.

Children who have been read to regularly are better at comprehension.

3. Stepping Stone to Academic Success

As a parent, this could be hectic, but reading to children every day or every other day hones early literacy and literary skills, increasing their chances of academic success.

When children go to school, a child who has been read to will have preliminary reading and books experience. His understanding of words, formulating sentences, and his ability to create imaginary stories will be one step ahead of others.

Having done this at home so many times will make him a natural reader. With early literacy, better vocabulary, and creativity, a child is prepared for academic success in later life stages.

4. Strengthening Parent-Children bond

The most effective way to strengthen your bond with children is to spend time with them. Regularly reading to your child can help you form a strong relationship with them.

When you read to children, you share the knowledge of new words, characters, and stories. Imparting this knowledge via reading earns you their trust; your child starts believing that you will always be here for them.

There comes a time when children start enjoying this reading activity; while they are happy, it gives them a feeling of affection, and they feel close to you.

This is especially helpful in the case of very young babies. They might not be understanding what you are reading. Still, this small activity nurtures your relationship with them.

The real benefit of reading to your children is in the later stages – when they are adulting. Reading together, when they are grown-up, can be used to discuss real-life issues and experiences. Parents become their children’s confidant, and that is a true blessing for parents.

5. An Eternal Love for Books and Reading

Reading is the core of lifetime learning. If you can inspire the respect of reading in your children at an early age, a commitment to lifelong learning is bound to happen.

Children who appreciate books are driven to read independently and are likely to continue to practice self-reading throughout their lives.

If your child is a good reader, he is bound to be a knowledgeable and well-versed person. And as they say, “all leaders are readers,” your child might turn out to be a great leader and does great things in the course of his life.

Learning so many benefits of reading to your children, one might wonder, “do children like to read so much?” or “is it possible, as a parent, to devote so much time to children’s books?”

Well, it not easy, but it can be made a regular activity at home by following a few tips.

• Try to be consistent with reading to your children. Whether it is one book per day or even a few pages of the book, make it a routine. You will not have to find a new book each time; kids love to hear the same stories again and again. Hence, don’t go after getting new books. Pick the old ones and make the children sit with you.
• Make time for it. You will not always have the time or energy for it, but you have to do it for their cause. Your children should see reading as an activity that needs dedicated time.
• Make it interesting. Understand the tone of each story or rhyme, and try to adapt the character’s voice. Try to make different sounds for different characters and make it enjoyable with your facial expressions. Remember, this has to be a fun experience for kids, and you want them to be fully involved.
• Tell them how these stories relate to their lives. Kids love to apply stories to themselves and their lives. Making the stories relatable will make it a meaningful experience.
• Do not stop reading to them. Consider this a necessity for them. If you don’t feel like reading a book to them, just start telling them any story you remember.

The benefits of reading to your children extend far beyond a special bond between you and your children. Reading teaches them essential language and communication skills, which children carry with them throughout their lives.

That’s how reading to children lays the foundation of their success.