Six benefits of reading to your little ones

One of the best ways of bonding with your child is by reading to them? (Photo: Shutterstock)

One of the best ways of bonding with your child is by reading to them. There are a variety of books that you can read to your child and as a parent you can nurture your child’s interests by reading to them.

I know most of us get too busy and barely get time to read to our kids but you can have a sibling or nanny help you with this.

Interestingly, kids enjoy when you read to them. So, it’s best to nurture this interest. We all want our child to be a step ahead when they join kindergarten and not struggle when learning.

Reading to them when they are young is a great way of improving their learning abilities and making them interested in it. It is one easy way of bonding with your child as it requires minimal physical activity which means you can still participate even if you are tired.

To get you jump started here are some of the benefits you need to know of when it comes to reading to your little ones.

It grows their interests

Reading to children is a great way to nurture your child’s interests. They learn so much about things that they like. This way they will be able to know what they are interested in and learn more about their interests. Kids are fast learners and they start engaging in their interests by the simple things that are around them.

They learn this way

Reading is a great way to teach your child how to read and name objects. Kids learn to name objects by you teaching them. Reading them books will teach them how to name animals, objects and even colors. Just get them baby books and soon they will start mimicking how you say things and will start learning that way.

Source of positive influence

Since you are able to choose positive material for them to read you can be able to teach them moral values from what you read to them. As a parent, you have the ability to influence what your child is exposed to. Books are a great way to teach values such as kindness, love, humility or hard work to your child. They learn from stories.

Reading is a great way to teach your child how to read and name objects (Photo: Shutterstock)

Source of entertainment

Reading and mimicking the characters in a book is a great source of entertainment for your child. That is why they look forward to story time.

Have you seen the way babies smile when you make animal sounds or change the tone of your voice? Yes, that’s what happens when you read to them. The same way reading your favorite novel entertains you is the same way reading to your child entertains them too.

Build their imagination

Reading to your child is a great way of building their imagination. They are able to participate and create stories. Just as stories are someone else’s imagination, when kids listen to stories, they learn how to create their own and this way you build their imagination.

With time you will notice your child starting to contribute to your stories or telling other kids stories they imagine.

Improves concentration

Reading to them is a great way of improving your child’s concentration. Reading requires a lot of concentration. Reading to a child and making sure you keep them involved in the story will help them learn how to concentrate. This is because if the story is interesting they will focus on it and want to know more.