Reading aloud to children, at any age, boosts their brain developments and imbibes a reading culture in them as it allows them see reading as a fun activity.
It is a fun and educative process that is of great benefit to you and your child/pupils especially because it makes learning a whole lot easier.
So, whether in school or at home it is important to make a habit of reading to children because
- If you start reading to children early they are more likely to develop an interest in and a habit of reading by themselves as they grow. Make the process fun and enlightening.
- Children learn to pay attention and have an increased concentration span when they are read to because they have to stay still and listen to what is being read. Start small and gradually extend the reading time.
- It helps improve their vocabulary, communication skills, social skills, emotional skills and their ability to learn language. They pick up the words being read and how they are being used so it helps if you take time to explain new words and contexts.
- They tend to have more exposure to situations and people that they ordinarily would not come in contact with. This gives them a broader understanding of their society and the world as a whole.
- It helps build a bond between parent and child, teacher and pupils. As it is something of an intimate time shared together. It provides topics of discussions and is an opener for teaching life lessons.
- Children who are read to tend to have more creative and imaginative minds as reading spikes up this aspect of them. It also spurs a healthy curiosity in them.
- Reading to children also helps strengthen their ability to comprehend which makes studying much easier for them.
- It also makes it easy for younger children to transition into a school setting as they are able to identify sounds and associate them to words which develops their literacy skills.