Once upon a time, nighttime stories were an unquestionable part of children’s routines. However, through the years, as technology has taken over, children have begun expressing less interest in books. All this may seem like a depressing reality to face; it is, unfortunately, the way things have progressed.
However, it’s not too late to turn things around. Even if your child begs for the television more than he does for his favorite book, doesn’t mean that you can’t spell help them reap the benefits that books have to offer.
Children benefit from you reading aloud to them whether they are paying attention or not. Research shows that when children listen to stories, their brains are engaged whether they like it or not. Not only that, there are all sorts of other perks from reading out loud to your children. Take a look at some of the reasons why you should read to your kids every day.
It Creates Bonding Time
At the end of a long day, families are finally done running around in ten different directions. Storytime is a wonderful opportunity for parents and children to cuddle up in their children’s room with a story and get busy reading.
It’s especially important if you have multiple children. Consider reading a book to each child individually by letting them choose a book of their choice. This one on one time will help strengthen your bonds while also making your children smarter.
Stronger English Fluency
Whether English is the first language in your home or not, reading aloud to your children improves their speaking fluency. Children who listen to their parents read regularly have an easier time recognizing words and understanding what words mean. The more that you read to your children, the faster that they will be at reading things themselves. When your child is old enough, consider taking turns reading to help them improve their speed.
Expanded Vocabulary
Even though children may not initially understand every word that you use while reading, it doesn’t mean that the words aren’t going into their subconscious. Research shows that people with a large vocabulary are those that listened to stories as a child. The more words that you introduce to your child, the more that their vocabulary will expand. Even though children are learning words in school, they should also be learning at home. Make sure that you let your child stop you at any point in the story to ask for an explanation of a word. Even though it can be frustrating having to take pauses throughout the story, it’s essential for their learning process to be able to learn definitions as they go. Make learning new words fun by making it an interactive bonding experience.