The Benefits of Reading to Children Before They Start School
According to psychologists and psychiatrists, it is an indisputable fact that reading stories to children is beneficial for their development. Even simply looking at books together and talking about them has a positive impact, as it places parents in the position of storytellers in the eyes of their children and thus transforms them into role models in terms of the acquisition of reading habits.
Knowing how to read and write is not a prerequisite for young children to start developing good reading habits or to take their first steps into the vibrant realm of stories. In this period of their lives, when babies and young children are constantly interacting with the world around them and they are curious about everything, their minds are very active when stories are read to them, as they become intrigued by the language of the narrative, and the unfolding of the plot, as well as the characters and the values that are communicated through them.
Even before they start attending school, introducing children to textual materials that incorporate engaging visual elements is of vital importance because it assists in their emotional and cognitive development and also helps them improve their language skills. Moreover, reading is not only a good way to spend quality time together and hence strengthen the foundations of the parent-child relationship, it also has numerous other critical functions as well. So let’s take a look at some of the different ways that stories have an impact on children.
So let’s take a look at some of the different ways that stories have an impact on children.
Developing Language and Thinking Skills
As children explore the new realms they encounter in stories, they’re also exposed to and acquire new words, thereby expanding their vocabularies. In addition, by means of the entertaining characters that inhabit them, the subjects, meanings and narratives of stories come to take a significant place in the worlds of children. In this way, even before they start going to school, reading helps children learn new things and it also reinforces the knowledge they have already acquired.
Acquiring Independent Reading Habits
The act of reading stories to children encourages them to read on their own. Generally, parents are the primary source of education for children, so when they see their mother and father reading books, they’re inspired to imitate them, which is crucial in terms of internalizing the activity of reading. By listening to their parents read to them, children come to realize that reading is truly is an enjoyable activity, and that inspires in them a desire to comprehend the words on their own.
Relaxing Together and Forging Bonds
Nothing could be more priceless than the pleasure of snuggling up with your child and reading a good story together just before they go to sleep, or, for that matter, anytime during the day.
Reading a story together at the end of a long day is one of the best ways to unwind, slow down and spend quality time in each other’s company. Furthermore, the activity of reading, which for the most part takes place in quiet settings far from distracting stimuli, can help parents and children alike stay balanced, while at the same time establishing a closer bond and connection.
Improved Problem-solving Skills
Since the characters in stories often have to come up with solutions to various challenges that arise in the course of the narrative, reading good stories also helps children develop the ability to adopt a solution-based approach to a wide variety of problems. Through stories, children don’t just observe and analyze challenging situations, they explore different ways they can be solved, which involves extremely productive processes of learning.
Increased Ability to Concentrate
Stories are a great way to improve concentration. When children become wrapped up in the details of a story, their sense of curiosity drives them to want to hear more, and over time that can help increase their attention span. An improved ability to concentrate has a positive impact on children’s future academic performance.
Enhanced Memory
In order to follow the plot of a story, you have to use your memory. In the case of children, the more that they exercise their memory, the better it becomes. So when children listen to stories and recall the characters, settings and overall plot, they are in fact exercising their memories in an indirect manner.
Improving Social Skills
Reading books can be very beneficial for children in the period of time before they start attending school as they start to establish new friendships and communicate with people in their immediate environment. When children learn certain values from stories and then put them into practice in their friendships and with their family members, they develop a stronger sense of responsibility and improve their social skills.
Enhancing Emotional Development
In terms of emotional and psychological development, acquiring good reading habits is crucial for children even before they start attending school. When children learn to identify with the characters in stories, they develop the ability to evaluate situations from different perspectives by relating to the feelings of others. The end result is that they are able to empathize with other people, seek out solutions to problems that arise, and undergo a process of personal development which helps them accept and express emotions that can be difficult to deal with.
In children’s lives, stories are both a means of entertainment as well as a tool for learning. The acquisition of good reading habits before reaching school age plays a key role in terms of children’s holistic development. Indeed, while they may not yet know how to read, they can understand the stories that are read to them and interact with their own environments through the worlds depicted in the tales they hear. Kidly offers a wide variety of categories of stories that were written in collaboration with pedagogical consultants, and thanks to their content, which is not only entertaining and educational but also suitable for young minds, they very well may be the first step in your child’s acquisition of good reading habits. Check out the link below to give them a try.