What is Your Nightly Routine with Your Children?
For many parents, “bedtime stories” are a key part of the routine that precedes peaceful slumber. Not only do these stories provide an incredible way to help kids unwind and relax, but they also foster an intimate connection with children. Additionally, they offer a wealth of educational and developmental benefits.
Reading aloud to children has been proven to be one of the most important activities parents can engage in. The benefits begin at birth! Thankfully, you don’t have to wait until bedtime to read to children; you can incorporate reading into various activities throughout their day. But what is the true importance of reading to our children? Is it the intimacy that children love, the imaginative possibilities a story offers, or the linguistic benefits that make it so vital?
The Importance of Reading
According to research from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, it’s all of the above. Their studies have shown that reading is the “single most important skill necessary for a happy, productive, and successful life!” Furthermore, reading is linked to self-confidence, academic achievement, social skills, and learning ability. In school and in life, reading is one of the most essential tools for learning—whether a child is tackling a school project or navigating their way through a school building. Our world is full of words, and children who do not read, or do not read well, suffer significant consequences.
One of the most detrimental effects on children who don’t learn to read is the damage to their self-esteem. These children often feel singled out in school and may resort to undesirable behaviors to divert attention from the fact that they struggle with reading. For children who don’t read well, many years can pass without their illiteracy being detected. During these years, chances are that the child has suffered from feelings of inadequacy and diminished confidence. In the United States, dropout rates hover between 10-14% of all high school students. A common factor shared by many of these dropouts is their stunted ability to read.
But what does all this have to do with reading to your child? If you don’t read to your newborn or toddler, will it really affect them academically and socially in the long run?
The answer is yes. Organizations like Reading is Fundamental, the largest nonprofit literacy program today, offer parents a wealth of free information on how to read to their children and encourage a love for language and words. They also run programs that deliver free books to households with young children every month to help bridge the gap between literacy and illiteracy. Reading is Fundamental has conducted extensive research showing that reading to your children not only helps them become better readers but also makes them better listeners and students. The more they master reading, listening, and their academics, the better their future will be.
By reading aloud to children from a young age, you help boost their vocabulary and communication skills. You’re providing them with an edge in comprehension, which goes beyond just reading words on a page. By entertaining your child with a book, asking questions, and even helping babies make the connection between pictures and words, you’re not just encouraging their education, but also fostering their success.
You are stimulating their minds during a time when they are most eager to be stimulated. Before the age of 5, children are intensely curious about the world around them and are fascinated by learning. Reading aloud nurtures this interest in education and helps them stay on the path to lifelong learning.
Interestingly, a study by the U.S. Department of Education found that children who were read to by their parents at least three times a week scored in the top 25% of their class on standardized tests. In contrast, those who weren’t read to typically fell in the bottom 12% of students tested.
And there’s more. Reading opens an entirely new world of possibilities. Many aspects of the world that we wouldn’t normally have access to—experiences, sensations, and knowledge—are brought to us through books. This is especially true for children. Reading opens their minds, sparks creativity, allows them to dream, and provides infinite possibilities for their futures.
One of the best things about reading to your children is that it’s an activity you can share together. When you first begin reading, you’ll likely do most of the reading and talking. However, as the years go by, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your child begins learning words, recognizing letters, and putting pictures and stories together based on their comprehension level. Soon, they’ll be reading the same books to you, and eventually, they’ll be reading independently.
Sadly, despite the overwhelming research supporting the importance of reading to children, it is estimated that as many as half of all children are not read to daily by a family member. These same children may have spent up to 5,000 hours watching television.
The best thing you can do is to start early by establishing a reading routine. If you choose to do it at bedtime, that’s wonderful. If bedtime doesn’t work for your routine, aim to find 20 minutes per day to sit down with your child and read books. Twenty minutes per day, several times a week, is all it takes to give your child an edge—not just in school, but in life!
