Why Reading to Your Kids is Important

Reading to kids is enjoyable. However, it's also super important for them. Read on to learn why as well as to discover a list of the best kids books.

It's common knowledge that reading to your kids is vital for their mental growth. But why is it so important? What can reading with your child give them with that nothing else can?

Kids books might seem like simple things. But, when they're used in the right way, they have the potential to benefit your kids for a lifetime. The good and the benefits that can come out of reading to your kids every day are endless. Let’s take a look at a few things your children can gain from story time with you.

It Helps Develops Language Skills

We learn to speak by listening to those around us. Throw a few books into the mix, and you’ll begin to see an improvement in your child’s vocabulary overtime. It has been proven that reading with your kids for just a little while every day can dramatically boost their grammar and vocabulary skills. Like with many other skills, the sooner you start the better. Our day to day vocabulary is often limited and repetitive, and reading is one way to introduce your child to new words they may not know. Children are naturally inquisitive. Thus, when confronted by a word they don't know, they're naturally going to want to learn what it means. Once they do, they'll begin using that word as often as they can. Kids books are the perfect way to provide your children with access to new words in the form of an engaging and age-appropriate content.

It Can Encourage Creativity

Boosting a child's creativity is where books easily outshine movies and TV shows.

A book may tell you what's going on or how something looks, but it's not going to explicitly show you anything. While the illustrations in kids books can fill some of the gaps, it's still up to your child's mind to give the story life.

Reading with your child forces them to think creatively. They have to imagine the setting. They have to build the interactions between the characters in their heads, and they become fully immersed in the world of the book. And this imaginative power they build up will follow them beyond storytime. Creativity is key to solving some of life's biggest problems. Building up a strong imagination at a young age will help your children later on.

It Enhances Concentration

Anyone who has ever spent more than 20 minutes with a toddler knows that they're not the best at concentrating on anything. If you have a younger child, reading together can be frustrating, which makes it all the more important. Young children may want to fidget, turn or tear out pages, change stories in the middle, but don't give up. Sitting together and actively focusing on one book for an amount of time every day will slowly boost your child's ability to sit still and concentrate. This will help your children be able to sit still and focus when they start school.

It Sets Them Up For Success

There have been dozens of studies that have all proven reading to your children when they are young will set them up for academic success. Reading is essential not just for success in academia, but for basic progression. Learning how to read early, and garnering a respect for reading and for literature becomes more important as your child gets older. These skills will ensure your child will able to face every subject with the tools they need not just to keep up, but to understand what they're studying. Being able to understand what they're studying will guarantee a successful academic career. This, in turn, will set your child up for a lifetime of success.

Strengthens Your Bond

Years from now, after they've grown up and left the nest, your kids will still remember the time you took to read with them. They'll remember the stories and the lessons they learned, and they'll remember the sound of your voice bringing the characters and their messages to life.

Spending time together and actively engaging in the same thing will build trust between you and your child. If you have a demanding job or lead a particularly busy lifestyle, taking this time is especially important. Now that you know why reading to your kids is important, why not pick up a book and get started. Kids books can make for some of the most influential literature available. Through simple stories, they teach powerful lessons that can stay with you for a lifetime. Don't know what kids book to read? Here are a few of our favourite pieces of children's literature no kid's library would be complete without.

10 of the Best Kids Books of All Time

1. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

2. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

3. The Lorax by Dr Seuss

4. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

5. Corduroy by Don Freeman

6. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

7. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

8. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Beyond Reading with Your Kids

Actively participating in your child's education is one of the best ways to ensure their success.

Reading with your kids every night is a great way to take on an effective role in your child's ongoing academic career, and enrolling your child in one of our online programs is another fantastic way to do the same. Online education allows you to be present in your child's classroom, wherever that classroom might be. Want to know more about how our programs benefit students? Contact us, we'd love to help you get your child into the best program to suit their unique needs.