Today, most children amuse themselves with electronic gadgets and toys. The ongoing pandemic has dealt a further blow to their cognitive development by reducing free-play time and connecting with the outdoors.
In conditions like these, you must help your children sharpen their imagination and develop their intellect. But why read to your children? Reading is a compelling way to help them become more creative in the long run.
Here’s a look at some of the benefits that come with reading to your children.
1. Supports cognitive development
Cognitive development occurs when children focus on comprehending instructions, constructing thoughts, remembering details, problem-solving, and learning to make decisions. When you read to children, it gives them a sense of the world around them and better understands things that they see.
Some experts suggest that the explanation of stories helps children figure out more about the world.
2. Improves language skills
When you read to your children, you help them foster their communication skills, language skills, literacy skills, and social skills. A brain scan reported by TIME shows that it is connected with the development of visual imagery.
It also helps them comprehend the meaning of language in a more applicative way.
3. Triggers academic success
One of the main reasons to read to your children is to prepare them for academic success in their later lives. Reading to them increases their phonemic awareness, helping them hear, identify, and play with sounds in the form of words.
It also helps them associate spoken and written language during their early years, giving them an apparent academic edge.
4. Helps develop a special bond with them
If you regularly read to your children, you also develop a bond with them, making it easier for them to communicate and relate to you during your adolescent years. It helps establish a strong bond with your children, giving them the feeling of security and reliability that they need.
5. Increases concentration and discipline
Parents who read to their children improve bonding and communication and enable the development of discipline and concentration. Children often find it difficult to focus, and reading aloud is one of the few things that can hold their attention.
These are the reasons why you should read to your children more often. Mention the stories you would want to read for your child and share ideas with your community in the comments below.
