As a parent, you know that there are a million different things vying for your attention at any given time. It can be challenging to find the time to do everything that you want, let alone everything that you need to do. However, making time to read with your children is essential. Here are five reasons why reading with children is an important part of parenting.
Reason #1: Reading with children helps them develop language skills.
One of the most important reasons to read with your children is that it helps them develop language skills. When you read with your children, they are exposed to many new words. They also learn how to put those words into sentences and understand their meaning. Additionally, reading aloud with expression helps children learn how to read with inflection, which is an important skill for understanding spoken language.
Reason #2: Reading with children helps them develop phonemic awareness.
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This is an important skill for children to develop because it lays the foundation for later reading and spelling success. When you read aloud with your children, they are exposed to the different sounds that make up words. This exposure can help them better understand how spoken language works and can eventually lead to them being better readers and spellers.
Reason #3: Reading with children helps them develop print awareness.
Print awareness is the ability to notice that print carries meaning and that books have particular features (like front and back cover). Developing print awareness is important because it helps prepare children for learning how to read independently. When you read aloud with your child, point out features of the book, such as the front cover, back cover, spine, and title page. You can also talk about how words are arranged on a page from left to right and top to bottom.
Reason #4: Reading with children helps them develop comprehension skills.
Comprehension skills involve being able to understand and remember what has been read. As parents, we want our kids to be able to comprehend what they read so that they can get meaning from what they are reading. One way to help develop comprehension skills is by reading aloud with your child and then asking them questions about what was just read. This will help them learn how to pay attention to details and understand the implicit meaning in what they are reading.
Reason #5: Reading with your child provides a bonding opportunity.
Last but not least, reading together provides a bonding opportunity for you and your child. It’s a chance for you to relax and cuddle up together while enjoying a good book . . . or two . . . or three! Not only will this create lasting memories, but it will also help foster a love of books and reading in your child, which will last a lifetime!
Reading aloud with your child has many benefits beyond just entertainment value. It can help them develop essential language skills like phonemic awareness, print awareness, and comprehension skills—skills that will lay the foundation for success in school and in life! So next time you’re feeling short on time or patience, consider opening up a book instead of reaching for the TV remote, the benefits are shown and worth it.
