Making time to read to your child is important for their cognitive development. It’s more than just a fun bonding activity! Reading is a crucial life skill. It’s also a way to teach your child about the world around them, introduce them to new words, and pave the way for stronger academic performance in the future.
Your efforts to foster an early love of reading can take your child far. Even if your child is years away from being able to read on their own, reading to them can have an enduring positive impact. Here are a few benefits of reading to your child!
1. Growing Vocabulary
Learning new vocabulary takes time. Your child only hears so many words per day from the adults in their household or in other settings. In order to show them new words, you’ll need to read to them!
By listening to you read out loud, your child will grasp brand-new vocabulary words. They will also start to learn what correct spelling looks like, as well as simple grammar rules. As you read gradually more complex books to your child, they will continue to broaden their understanding of grammar, spelling, and diverse vocabulary.
2. Developing Critical Thinking
As your child grows from an infant to a toddler, they go through a period of intense neurological activity and development. Up until the age of three, your child is experiencing significantly more brain activity than the average adult as they form new neurological connections and grow.
As a parent, you can support your child’s cognitive development during this phase by reading to them. This encourages them to form rudimentary critical thinking skills while learning about novel concepts.
3. Expanding Creativity
Children are naturally imaginative. But if you want to encourage your child to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills, reading to them is key. Reading will teach your child to think bigger and question what they know about the world so far.
When you read to your child, they will also learn more about morality. Reading is a great way to help your child avoid falling into black-and-white thinking traps in the future. Instead, they will see that many issues have shades of gray.
4. Improved Attention Span
Learning to concentrate doesn’t come automatically as your child gets older. Concentration is a skill that needs to be taught. This is especially true in our fast-paced world, in which people rely heavily on technology that can distract you from tasks that require deep focus. If you want your child to learn how to concentrate, you’ll need to be proactive about engaging in activities that encourage this skill.
As you read to your child, they will focus on what you’re saying and pay attention to the story. When your child gets older and starts picking out books to read on their own, they’ll find it easier to concentrate!
5. Brighter Academic Future
Literacy skills are not just important for your child’s future English classes. The skills they learn through reading can be applied to many academic subjects, from history to science to the arts. Children whose parents read to them when they’re young generally perform better in school as they get older.
By making it a point to read to your child frequently, you are giving them a strong intellectual foundation that they can build upon in the future. Reading to your child will set them up for better grades down the road!
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Are you struggling to help your child with developing literacy skills? Working with a therapist can help. Reach out to us today to discuss your options for scheduling your first session for child therapy, parent counseling, or women’s counseling.