Benefits of Reading Out Loud to Your Kids
In our time today, you’ll see more and more parents use phones, tablets, and TVs to entertain their children. For one, this sets the children up for eye damage at such an early age. And for another, they’ll turn to their gadgets for fun instead of interacting with other children. We may not like to admit it, but this will have a profound effect on their mental and emotional growth. The classic and better way to entertain your child is to use books! Here are some reasons why.
Great way to spend some quality time together
First and most importantly, you get to spend more quality time with them. Having time to interact with their parents intimately is very important for a child’s growth. If you spend more time at work then at home, reading to your kids when they go to bed is a great way to make up for lost time. It can give them great memories as they grow up and it will surely strengthen your bond as a family.
It instills a love for reading
As said earlier, your kids can make great memories when you read to them. This is why reading out loud can be a great way to instill in them a love for reading. Because they understand how entertaining books can be at a young age, they’ll learn to pick books up as they grow older as well. Of course, this is important because books are the most common learning tools. So, when they go to school, they already understand the importance of reading!
It improves their vocabulary
Children learn by imitating others around them. That is why it’s usually better to read books aloud yourself instead of letting your kids do all the reading. In this sense, you have a better grasp of grammar and pronunciation, so your children will learn about those aspects better as well. Sure, it would be great if they learned on their own, but if you expose them early to vocabulary, they’ll have an easier time learning.
It teaches lessons and values
The truth of the matter is, you can dictate moral lessons or values to children. Rather, you can, but they might not understand it instantly. A better way for them to learn about values is through books. Children are more likely to learn their values because they imitate their favorite characters. They’ll have a hard time following and understanding constantly say, “Don’t do this.” or “This is what you should do.” Also, since they’ve already heard about the bad guys in books, they should also have a better understanding of what’s good and what’s not.