The places THAT BOOKS take you and the people you meet IN THEM...
Books. One of the most important items your children will ever see. It is no secret that books significantly help with development in babies and children. Reading is a life skill and having access to this from a very early age has advantages in abundance.
We have always read books to our girls. I remember even reading short stories out aloud during my later stages of pregnancy in the hope that they were listening to my voice and the words before they were even born. Coming from an education background, I already had a love of books and stories and knew that I wanted our girls to have opportunities to read and grow their imaginations from early on.
They help children to make sense of the world around them
There are so many children's books that can help children to understand the world around them. Starter books about colours, numbers, letters, animals, cultures, weather and so much more. These are great to start them recognising things and talking about them. Erin always had her head buried in a book from just a few months old. Of course she wasn't reading them but she was making sense of pictures and beginning to notice things in the real world around her to make connections. We nicknamed her 'Matilda' as she always had a book in her hand and would sit going over and over pictures.
They expand their vocabulary
When we sit and read with a child, they are listening to each word you say. Some words they start to join in with once they have heard it repeatedly over time such as 'cat', 'man' etc but gradually over time, they hear more and more words and add them to their own vocabulary. Of course, they may not be able to say them correctly for a while yet but just having those words to use and being able to understand their context is so beneficial as they grow older. This continues as they become old enough to read by themselves. I can't count the number of times Erin or Kate have been reading to me and have come across an unfamiliar word and asked me what it means. It leads to a new conversation of what the word means and you see the lightbulb moment of them banking it to use themselves.
Reading builds independence and confidence
As they grow and learn to read more and more and have less reliance on adults to help them read, they begin to develop a stronger sense of independence and self confidence. As they practice more and more, they get better at it. And with finding it easier, they begin to enjoy it more. They now also begin understanding the world on their own and can link things independently.
It keeps them safe
Being able to read independently allows children to recognise and know when something isn't safe or could harm them. Warning labels have words on, as do traffic signs and notices. Children start to recognise danger and are able to begin to take ownership of some of their own decisions regarding safety. Obviously their maturity can't keep them completely safe, however being able to read a 'DANGER - KEEP OUT' sign is certainly a benefit.
Reading creates imagination
When we read stories, we imagine what the characters look like, where they live, where they visit and our minds become alive. Books allow us to transport to other eras, countries, planets, worlds, dimensions and meet new people and creatures. Yes, we have TV shows and movies created from books and stories but those places and characters we don't imagine. They are given to us to see. When you read a book you create your OWN character or setting based on what you read. To me, that is so much more exciting! Imagine what that is like for a child. This undoubtedly helps them with writing!
Improves grammar and writing
Being able to read books and seeing how authors structure their writing ultimately helps children learn how to structure theirs. This helps with their communication skills and also passes into their own writing. Writing usually comes along a while later than reading as writing uses a completely different set of skills. This can take a while to develop but you can help this with fine motor activities such as play dough, using tweezers, lacing cards, finger painting and so much more.
Reading is an essential skill in life. From getting through school, to applying for jobs, cooking, driving, it really is a skill we all need even in its very basic of forms. Not all children find reading easy but any help you can give to a child is a positive. The key is to make it fun, use silly voices, encourage their imaginations and invite them to ask questions. Read to them daily and let them read to you. Not only is it helping them develop life skills, it's creating special bonding time for you.
Bed time stories for the win.
