Henry Bush, Age 5, Oil on canvas
A recent Huffington Post article said that reading aloud to your kids, more than anything else, is the greatest predictor of high academic achievement and test scores. Not flash cards, workbooks, fancy preschools, or technology, but Mom and Dad taking the time to sit and read with their kids every day.
Wow!
According to Rasmussen, the benefits of reading to children start in the womb. Babies can hear the mother's voice and absorb language before they're even born!
Here are three other ways reading aloud to your kids is beneficial to them:
1. Reading aloud increases their vocabulary.
The more you read to your kids, the more their vocabularies will grow. Kids absorb and learn so much from a young age. Spending time reading with them helps improve their language and memory skills, which sets them up to do better in school. Studies show that kids who are read to regularly consistently perform better in school.
2. Reading aloud teaches empathy.
According to Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, a pediatric professor at NYU, children who are read to "learn to use words to describe feelings that are otherwise difficult and this enables them to better control their behavior when they have challenging feelings like anger or sadness.”
Reading teaches introduces them to new characters and people who aren't like themselves. When they encounter new situations in school, they are better able to cope with their peers and understand different sides of a situation.
3. Reading aloud is a great way to bond with your child.
Cuddling up together with a good book is a fantastic way to spend time with your child. You'll explore new worlds together. Some of my favorite memories growing are when my Dad would read to us after dinner. Books like Watership Down, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Legend of Little Tree – they're some of my favorite books to this day, and we read them together as a family.
Parents, never underestimate the benefits of taking the time to do something as simple as reading to your kids! It sets them up to better in school and life.
I'd love to know, what are your favorite books to read to your children?