It’s never too soon to start reading to your baby or toddler. Important benefits are available for your child and your relationship with him or her. A child who is read to develops a love for books and learning, forming a strong foundation for future success.
If you have spent time reading to your children, you have already experienced the fun and joy your child gets from hearing a good book. Let’s explore the beneficial effects of reading together.
Why Reading to Your Child Is Important
1. Prepare Young Children for School Success
Your child gets bonding time from being close, which is only the start. Children love the familiarity of favourite stories and guessing what’s going to happen next. They also have fun participating in page turning, naming letters, and exploring pictures. These activities contribute to your child’s school success.
For success in school, many tasks depend on a child’s ability to read and comprehend instructions. Starting on this important skill early will teach your child to love reading. It will show them that it is not difficult.
2. Develop Empathy and Emotional Awareness
Books help children build empathy and learn how to handle challenging feelings. Reading stories about diverse characters and experiences helps children understand different perspectives and emotions. Discussing these stories allows children to relate to others and manage their own feelings better.
Parents can use reading time to talk about emotions and coping mechanisms. For example, you might say: “Have you ever felt as angry as the girl in this book? What would you do if you did?”
3. Be Your Child’s First Teacher
Start a routine of reading to your child if you hope to have strong readers when they begin school. Teachers aren’t the only ones to develop literacy skills.
Age-appropriate books for your baby or toddler can speed the process. As they learn, you can progress to the next level. Smaller babies enjoy learning colours and objects. Toddlers seem anxious to learn letters and numbers. Characters and a storyline become more important as they progress past these stages of reading.
A routine gives your child something to anticipate when it comes to reading or story time. A familiar space and routine will also help them look forward to reading as a special event, even if it is part of a bedtime routine. You can still make it special by letting your child pick the story. Budget reading time because it will teach them to set aside a certain amount of time for reading.
4. Establish a Daily Reading Routine
Reading every day is something your child will look forward to. You can let them participate by turning the page or pointing to the animals as you read about them. You will need to take turns if you have more than one child. It teaches the children to share. Play games such as finding certain letters and talking about the story.
A trip to the zoo is a good field trip after you have read books about animals to them. It helps them relate a book to real life. You can also have them point out shapes, words, or other things when you make daily trips to the store or a field trip to a place you have read to them about.
5. Teach Children About New Experiences
Books are wonderful for teaching children new things. New experiences, such as starting school or a trip to the dentist, can be scary for a child. Reading a book that tells how another child has dealt with it will make it manageable for your child. It will help them put words to their fears.
6. Model Reading Behaviour
Reading to your child is just as important as your child seeing you read. If it has been a while since you have read to your child, you should start as soon as possible. You need to allow your child to see you reading, so pick out a book on the next trip to the library that interests you, besides the ones your child picks out.
Reading with your child teaches more than the function of reading. It creates a bond that will last a lifetime. It prepares your child for reading in school. Learning the skill early is a good way to give a child a strong start in life.
Language Development Milestones
Reading together with your child can help you spot any developmental issues early on. As you read, observe how your child interacts with the book and responds to the story. Here are some key milestones to look for:
- 6-12 Months – Babies should show interest in books, even if it’s just mouthing or handling them. They may respond to the sound of your voice and show excitement when you read familiar stories.
- 12-18 Months – Toddlers often point to pictures, turn pages with help, and imitate sounds or words. They might also start to recognise simple words and names of objects.
- 18-24 Months – At this stage, children should be able to identify and point to objects in the pictures when named. They may begin to use simple words and phrases, and enjoy naming familiar pictures.
- 2-3 Years – Your child should be able to follow along with the story, answer simple questions about the pictures, and start to retell parts of the story. They may also begin to recognize some letters and show interest in the text.
- 3-4 Years – Preschoolers often ask and answer questions about the story, make predictions, and relate the story to their own experiences. They should be able to understand and use more complex sentences.
- 4-5 Years – By this age, children should be able to retell the story, describe characters and events, and start to recognize words and even read simple books with some help.
If you notice that your child is not meeting these milestones, it might be worth discussing your observations with a pediatrician or a speech-language pathologist. Early intervention will help address any developmental delays and support your child’s language skills.
Related: Development Milestones and Delays: When To Get Help