Eight Good Reasons to Read Aloud to Your Child

Good parents know they should read to their children–it’s the right thing to do. But life gets busy and schedules are full. And, if you happen to be a parent who suffered a little as you learned to read, you may not actually enjoy the whole reading process.

But, studies of best practices all agree: reading aloud to kids is the single most important activity for building knowledge that eventually leads to success in school. When children are strong readers, they can learn about anything and everything. Reading is an essential learning tool.

The good news is, you don’t have to consciously teach your children as you read with them, you just have to make the experience enjoyable for all. Relax together with a good book or two and take the time to do a “picture walk” before reading and to talk about the ins and outs of the story as you go.

In case you’re still not motivated to take the time to read aloud, here are eight good reasons you should.

• Kids love reading time and will be motivated to want to read themselves.
• Quality books provide your child valuable background knowledge of people, places and things beyond their current understanding.
• Reading builds vocabulary. Your child will know and use more words in speaking, reading and writing.
• When you read to your child you become the role model for literacy. Who doesn’t want to be a hero?
• Reading encourages a child’s imagination to expand.
• Reading builds logic and problem-solving skills. Children will examine the choices and behaviors of characters. They’ll grow in understanding of social interactions and relationships.
• Read aloud times build concentration and focus skills, building attention spans and memory.
• Reading a wide variety of books will increase your child’s communication skills as you talk about each book.

So, like Martha says, reading aloud to your child is a “good thing.” And, if you use your public library, it doesn’t cost you anything but your time. And believe me, it’s time well spent.