I would like to share 5 reasons reading books is important for your child. I am not only coming from a children’s author’s point of view, but also from a mama’s and nana’s point of view! In light of that, the points below rank AFTER the joy of spending time with your child. Trust me, when your children are grown, you will be so happy to have those memories!
1. Language Development
The first reason reading books is important for your child is language development. This begins long before the child can read for themselves. Reading to young children helps them learn to form words as they hear the sounds of the words read to them! Bright colorful pictures stimulate their brain as well as holding their attention. But, when you read the words out loud, their pronunciation as well as how they are used in the sentence will greatly aid in your child’s language skills development.
How you read books to your child is important for their language development as well. Reading with expression and excitement will keep them interested as well as help them understand that reading is a fun thing to do! It is important to read slowly, so the child can hear the sounds that make up the words. Many language issues later on can be avoided if we speak slowly…not baby talk…just enunciating clearly when we speak or read. The added bonus for reading with your child is the quality time spent with them! They will remember this!
2. Learn New Things
The second reason reading books is important for your child is that it helps them learn new things. For a toddler, books can help learn and reinforce learning colors or numbers or counting. For a preschooler, reading books can help them begin to build the skills to recognize letters and often-used words. For a kindergartner or first grader, books will aid in them actually learning to read!
As a child grows, books will play a bigger part in their education. Cultivating a love of books in a young child will enable them to search out books on topics they want to learn! This is a huge WIN!
3. Engage the Imagination
Encouraging a child to expand their imagination through books is a gift that will give again and again to your child throughout their lifetime! Reading fires similar areas of your brain as if you were actually participating in the activity you are reading about. Check out this article! https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/reading-books-brain-chemistry.html
I also found this article quite interesting. It refers to a study performed at Tohoku University in Japan about the effects of television on the brain. https://hef.org.nz/2019/how-books-and-television-affect-your-brain-differently-according-to-science/. This is definitely concerning!
Another thing is when I read a book BEFORE I see the movie, my mind is so active in forming images. When we watch a movie of the same story, the images are provided for us, so our brain does less imagining! When I homeschooled my children, I always insisted that we read a book before watching the movie. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings being examples. Our brains are amazing if we only allow them to do what they were designed to do and not thwart their ability to develop!
4. Develop Autonomy
It is important for a child to develop some independence. It is so healthy for a child to choose to sit quietly and read or even just look through a book on their own. Down time, as we adults know, is a precious commodity. Teaching and fostering the ability for a child to choose a quiet, independent activity is healthy for them now and later in life! By encouraging reading as a go-to quiet activity, we are actually helping to develop their brains as well as their independence.
5. Adventures
What child doesn’t long for adventure from time to time? One way to satisfy that desire is through books! From pirates to cowboys to ballerinas to horseback riding and many others — there are books where children can read about all of these adventures!
I like adventures but in reality I am a “chicken” for a lot of adventures. But I don’t always have to GO somewhere to experience an adventure. The same is true for children. We can read about adventures we may not be brave enough to experience in real life. When reading about an adventure, if it gets too intense, I can put the book down and take a break. I can then come back to it when I am ready! The same goes for your child! The wonderful world of books provides opportunities for your child to experience adventures through reading!
Summary
There are so many reasons to encourage a love of books from a young age. Here are the five I have chosen to focus on: 1) books aid in language development; 2) books help children learn new things; 3) books engage your child’s imagination; 4) books help develop autonomy and independence; and 5) books provide adventure from the comfort of your child’s own home or back yard.
In Closing
As I close, let me tell you a little bit about my books. I wrote my “de Good Life Farm” series for the purpose of allowing children to see what life on a small farm is like. In that series, Mocha, the dairy cow, Merlin, the rooster, Odin, the Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog and others, tell of their life on our farm and their jobs here on the farm! This series is also educational. Each book includes a glossary for unfamiliar words as well as the real photographs of the animals on the farm. Check out my post here: https://dianeorrauthor.com/2024/05/05/my-farm-animals-make-wonderful-characters-for-my-childrens-books/
Some of my books are purely entertainment. Pamona’s Spectacular Pumpkin Patch is an historical fiction middle-grade chapter book. Pamona is finally given the opportunity to grow whatever she wants in a corner of her parents’ garden. The story tells of her tenacity and perseverance in the face of discouragement and seeming disaster. It also tells of the great impact her pumpkins have on the community, especially the children in the local orphanage. Did You Ever See Such a Silly Thing? is purely for enjoyment and giggles! You can check out all my books here: https://dianeorrauthor.com/books/.