The Benefit of Reading to Your Child

As a parent, you have probably often heard about the importance of reading aloud to your child, even before his birth. The multiple benefits of reading, even just one story a night, will have on him through both infancy and his childhood, and even into adulthood are astounding. However, with our busy lives, sometimes this simple task can get pushed aside or forgotten.

Here are a few reasons why reading aloud to your child should part of your daily routine:

One on one bonding time with your child – with all the hustle and bustle of your daily life, it can often seem like you are always on the go and missing any relaxing bonding time with your child. Reading aloud with her allows a one on one shared experience. Even if it is just a few minutes a day, you are enhancing your bond, by sharing a literary adventure together.

Introduction and expansion of language – even before your child can talk, they are introduced to words and language through the spoken and written word. Reading every night introduces your child to a plethora of new words that are not commonly used in daily conversations. On average, a child who is read to regularly through infancy and young childhood has a greater vocabulary by age three than children not exposed to books on a regular basis.

Enhances imagination – unlike movies or TV shows where you are given a visual representation of the story, books leave the creating up to your child. Reading and hearing the details in a story, with no or minimal visual stimulation, gives her mind and imagination a workout.

Builds cognitive skills – it has been proven time and time again, that people (both children and adults alike) who read on a regular basis, have better memory, retention of information, have a better attention span, and other cognitive skills.

Setting a positive example – your child will follow examples set by you and the other adults in his life. By making reading a daily part of his routine now, it will be it more likely for him to continue to enjoy reading on his own as he becomes older.

ALSO SEE: How to Read With Your Child, Not Just To Your Child

Sources: HuffingtonPost.ca | ReachOutandRead.org | PBS.org