The Benefits of Reading with Children
There is overwhelming evidence that supplying books to and reading with children is very good for them. Not only does having books and reading at home improve academic success, but it’s also a predicter of better physical and mental health as well.
Here are just a few reasons why:
Reading helps the mind develop
Reading develops vocabulary
Reading can improve individual bonding
Reading can be a great routine at nighttime to ease kids into sleep
Reading (well) will help students throughout their academic career
Reading is a critical life skill
Reading opens up a whole new world of possibilities and learning
In my experience as a volunteer reader, in a classroom of kids, you can tell which children have been exposed to books and reading as a way of life, and which have not. The difference it makes is obvious in the way the children speak and communicate ideas.
Sadly, social media and violent computer games have soaked up much of the attention of our children and young adults. This short attention span entertainment is not helping children’s brains, in fact, there’s evidence to show that they are doing much harm. Any time we spend reading with a child is of so much greater value and quality than other media. And, if we can inspire a child to incorporate books and reading into their life, we would be doing them a very great service. We open up their world to a whole new level of awareness, of experience, and appreciation of history and the arts.
If you are parent reading this… I commend you! Being a parent is not easy, especially in this day and age, and I know you have a lot on your plate. Thank you for your interest in this topic. You may be interested in these tips about how to encourage your children to read more.
For others, maybe you are thinking to yourself “But my kids are grown up now. It’s the parents’ job, not mine, to read to the children.” I would agree with you that in an ideal world, every parent would read with their child. However, our world is not ideal as we know. Some parents have no tradition of reading in their family so they would never think of it. Some parents would love to read with their children, and sometimes they do, but mostly they don’t have the time. They have one or more jobs, or one or more other children to attend to. It just doesn’t happen as much as we like. You never know what’s going on at home in a child’s life.
I grew up in one of those households that was not ideal. But one aspect that was ideal was a weekly trip to the local library. Books were a comfort for me. When things were crazy at home, I would retreat to The Three Investigators, and later, to Agatha Christie books and I would feel better. It helped me realize that there were other, happier ways of living. And books really did open up my horizons. Some of the most important things I ever learned were from books. They broadened my horizons and helped me develop inner knowing and strength. In that very real sense, books saved me.
To my memory, I never read books with an adult when I was a kid. I wish I had. The main lesson that we teach children when we read with them is that they are worthy and lovable. All children need to know this. I wish I had known this!
So that’s why I like to call attention to it, making it my mission. We can help the children in our family, our schools, and our neighborhoods by providing books and reading with them. Even those children who already read at home with their parents will get something out of it – maybe they will come to love a new book or learn a new idea through our service to them.
