Happy holidays! I hope it’s joyful and you get some time to slow down too. Personally, I hope to get some time to just read with my family.
The holidays can be hectic. Reading together, either out loud or reading our own books, can be a golden moment of slowing down and connecting. Reading and reading to your children plays an amazing role in their healthy development and is also a way to bond and explore topics together. Let’s talk about why reading matters and how to raise readers in your family.
Not every kid takes naturally to reading, but if you can encourage reading, it brings big developmental benefits. Reading and being read to activate key areas of the brain that support language, critical thinking and emotional growth. Books introduce complex ideas and words, concepts that strengthen critical thinking, and stimulate imagination. Kids who read for pleasure are shown to perform better at cognitive tests and have better mental health in adolescence.
Reading with kids: getting started
It’s amazing when you think about it, but infants start learning in the womb, where they hear and respond to familiar voices. When children are young, reading aloud to them promotes healthy brain growth and positive emotional and social development.
Really, the best time start reading with your kids is now. Start at whatever age and wherever your children are with their own reading interest and skills. It can be a great way to support family bonding and to offer a safe way to explore feelings and ideas together.
There’s a difference between learning to read and learning to be a reader. Both are important!
Make reading enjoyable
Here are a few tips for creating positive associations that help children build a healthy habit of reading for pleasure:
- Short reading sessions are fine. Spending 20-30 minutes a day reading and fostering connection is ideal but even short sessions reading together can build consistency and reap benefits.
- Model reading. I say it over and over again, kids reflect what we do. If they see you enjoying reading, they’re more likely to pick it up. However, if you aren’t a big reader, you can also set a tone where your family likes to learn new things, including from books.
- Let them pick their own books. Take your child to the library often and let them pick what they are interested in. Tie reading to a hobby or interest like books about baseball or horses. Additionally, you can tie reading into TV, movies or games.
- Ask questions during reading. Ask things like “What do you think will happen next?” or “How does the character feel?” This helps children practice predicting, analyzing and making connections and engages them in the story.
- Let them read an extra few minutes. If you “let” kids stay up an extra bit or read in bed by a flashlight, they feel a little like they are getting away with something! That can help create positive associations with books.
- Remember that stories are entertaining! Books are a great way for children to entertain themselves, get absorbed and fuel their own imagination. You can put books in places that your child would otherwise be bored like the car to make it a habit to grab something to read.
- Try alternatives to traditional books. Formats like graphic novels (which require creating a cohesive narrative in your head and yes, a lot of reading), reading aloud at any age, and reading along with audio books require the reader to learn to read differently. It might be the path in for you child.
Empathy and connection
When children see characters navigate life’s joys and challenges, resolve conflicts and succeed, they develop empathy and emotional strategies they can apply in their own lives.
Just talking with them about their reading can be a good way to explore feelings and ideas and enjoy the connection that reading can bring.
