Importance of Reading to Children

Most of you already know that you should read to your children, but do you know why reading is so important for kids? Here, we list the top 7 reasons why reading out loud and sharing stories with your kids is pertinent to their overall growth and success.

The Top 7 Reasons You Should be Reading to Your Children:

1. Helps in bonding with them: Reading aloud to kids when they’re very young and progressing to reading with them when they’re older is a scientifically proven method of bonding with them. When done everyday at a fixed time, it strengthens your connection. It also helps when you use the book and reading time to build a conversation around it. It allows children to express themselves and parents to show their inclination to listen, thus encouraging communication. This type of reading is called ‘dialogical’ reading.
2. Exposes them to rich language and varied content: We tend to talk in a simple, basic manner i.e. using limited vocabulary and truncated sentencesin everyday, informal speech. This limits a child’s acquisition and understanding of words. Therefore, parents who emphasize talking to their children over reading often overlook the disadvantages associated. Well-written books use a larger vocabulary and more intricate grammatical structures that expand a child’s capabilities of language and vocabulary acquisition. Precisely why it is important that youread to your kids in their native language rather than just speak to them in it. This will ensure that your children absorb a rich vocabulary in multiple languages.
3. Reading to kids improves concentration and discipline: Initially toddlers and small children may fidget and get distracted easily while you read them stories. Starting with short stories that have lots of pictures and reading in different voices will help them get interested and slowly improve their concentration. Along with reading knowledge, kids will develop stronger self-discipline, longer attention span and better responsiveness.
4. Furthers school readiness: Reading stories to your children will help in building their vocabulary and improving verbal and literacy skills while simultaneously rocketing their attentiveness, curiosity and retention.These abilities help to better prepare your child for school.
5. Reading to kids helps them develop the knack of listening: Listening is an extremely important skill that children who are about to start pre-school or school need to develop. Along with extended attention span and better memory, reading to kids helps them become better listeners leading to their success in school. Through story telling, children understand the concept of cause and effect, basic logic and simple values. They learn to differentiate between right and wrong at a fundamental level, which is important for their overall development.
6. Assists kids with new experiences: Stories are a great way to allow children to explore stronger emotions, which can help in dealing with new experiences both pleasant and unpleasant. For example, stories about going to the dentist, going to school and making new friends help in developing positive emotional responses to new experiences.
7. Reading inspires kids’ imagination: Stories help children discover their imagination, encourage conversations and embolden responsiveness. It stimulates curiosity and assists brain development. Rich illustrations and language patterns can get children excited about reading and spark their own thinking. It also helps kids distinguish between real and make-believe thus furthering their knowledge.

The importance of reading to kids is unending. Scientifically, it has been proven that if a child reads for as little as 20 minutes every day, he/she is exposed to 1.8 million words every single year. Whether it’s a physical book or a tablet/smartphone with educational storytelling apps like FunDooDaa Books installed; the benefit is the same.

Researchers have also found that children from homes that encourage reading, have greater activity in parts of the brain that help with narrative understanding and visual imagery. Their brains showed greater activity in those key areas while they listened to stories. They also found that parents who spent quality time reading to their children built nurturing relationships which is important for a child’s overall cognitive, semantic and socio-emotional development.