From the time I brought my first baby home from the hospital, I read to her. All-time favorites were Goodnight Moon, Love You Forever and Green Eggs and Ham. Bedtime stories were part of the routine for all my children until late elementary school, and I still like discussing books they are reading on their own with them now that they are teens.
Parents should read aloud regularly to young children, according to experts. Here are five reasons why:
Reading With Kids Increases Their Vocabulary – Children who are read to have a richer vocabulary. According to a paper from the University of California Berkeley, reading books exposes kids to 50 percent more words than watching television. Kids learn to speak when we talk to them. Words in books are more diverse than the vocabulary we normally use when we talk to kids, so children who are read aloud to regularly learn and use more words in their conversation.
Kids Who Are Read To Read Earlier and Better – If you want your kids to read well, read to them. Twenty six percent of three-to-five-year-olds who are read to three or four times a week recognize their letters and numbers, according to the National Education Association, versus only 14 percent of kids whose parents don’t read aloud to them. Kids, who are read to at home do better in school, have higher math scores, and are more likely to graduate high school.  Â
Reading With Kids Teaches Concepts–Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? by Eric Carle, The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, and a host of other classic and modern day picture books teach children valuable concepts like their colors, shapes and numbers, and life lessons, like never giving up, sharing, and even the meaning of true love. Nightly reading of books with loved ones reinforces the learnings in a fun way.
Reading With Kids Helps Parents Bond With Their Children – Cuddling up with your little ones with their favorite books is the perfect time to unwind after a busy day. Reading aloud allows for those quiet moments, where cell phones, television, and other distractions are put aside, and parents and children can focus on each other. This is often the time when kids share their deepest dreams, fears, problems and other issues with parents, and is a time to cherish.
Tonya Duncan Ellis is author of the Readers’ Favorite “Five Star†rated Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
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