Much of what a child learns comes from books. Learning, whether taught in school or at home often involves reading to gather pieces of important information on a subject. This is why teaching your child to read as a habit is important. Reading helps unlock opportunities for learning, widen your child’s horizons, exercise their creativity and imagination, and explore ideas and places of knowledge that reach far beyond the environment they’re in. Reading should of course be a fundamental skill kids learn and exercise but have you ever thought about the importance of reading to the development of your child?
Reading helps improve your child’s concentration
Ever read a novel so good that you can’t put it down? One where you’re so anxious to get to the next chapter that you finish it all in one sitting? Getting immersed in a book can get you in the zone to keep reading for hours on end. Novels may not be your child’s book of choice for his or her age but inspiring them to read and love books can begin while they’re young. Illustrated story books are attractive for children. Start teaching your child how to read using guided storytelling. Use the book’s visuals as prompts and help them out when they have difficulty reading certain words. As long as you can keep your child’s attention on the reading material, you’re already taking steps to help improve their concentration through reading.
Memory practice and brain exercise
Storybooks may be a quick read for adults, but children enjoy them the most. As stories unfold, children are expected to remember, get to know and understand the characters. It requires them to remember important plot points in the story, the setting and other details that may be referenced in the latter part of the narrative. The complexity in stories they read helps children exercise their memory and understanding. Reading is also a form of exercise for the brain. The more they read, the better they’ll learn which consequently leads to improved vocabulary and comprehension skills for your child.
Discover new places and things
Children who read books are also exposed to a world beyond their own personal experiences. They explore new people, places, ideas and landscapes through words from the pages of the books they read. This helps them develop an open mind for new experiences and be more accepting of others as they meet new people from different places and backgrounds.
Getting in tune with their Emotions
As children get to know characters in the books they read, they understand their feelings. They learn about the cause each character is fighting for, their motivation, and the stakes of the situation they’re in. Stories provide a great exercise of empathy for kids. Empathy is essential to a child’s development as it teaches them to develop sensitivity toward other peoples’ feelings and help them relate to others better as they move through life.
Exercise Imagination
Another benefit of reading to your child’s growth and development is the exercise of imagination that they get out of it. Reading triggers a visual picture in your child’s mind. Reading enables your child to enter a world created and visualized by the author. It gives them the freedom to recreate the images in their head out of the words in the pages of the books they read.
Develop Early Literacy and Comprehension Skills
The importance of reading to your child’s growth and development is most of all about expanding their vocabulary and comprehension. Speaking daily to your kids can help develop their language skills at an early age but getting them exposed to new words through reading can help your children express themselves better in speech and in writing. Developing an understanding for new words and concepts also enhances their comprehension skills. Getting better at comprehension results in children also doing better in school and can help them succeed in many areas of their lives.
At Launchpad Early Education, we understand the value of learning and how parents play a role in nurturing them. If you’re looking for a trusted partner in education to provide the best learning and growing opportunities for your child, Launchpad Early Education has experienced, kind and loving educators and teachers that have partnered with parents to help children prepare for the future and be their best selves!
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