TODAYonline | Weekend Voices | POV | Once you give the gift of reading, you can't take it back

TODAYonline | Weekend Voices | POV | Once you give the gift of reading, you can't take it back

More Reasons to Read to your Child!

Reading beats preaching:
Characters in books provide examples of behavior you want you child to emulate, without the lecture effect. Whether you want to teach your child to be kind, helpful, polite, honest or perseverant, reading books where the characters portray these qualities and are appreciated or rewarded for that reason is an effective way to send the message

Reading educates without effort:
Books offer different types of situations and conversations that help your child pick up language, vocabulary and general knowledge. Since it all happens almost effortlessly and sub-consciously, without you even having to try, it’s more fun for everyone.

Reading leads to questioning, hence learning:
It’s amazing how quickly reading with your kids gets them thinking beyond the obvious. If you’ve paid close attention to the questions you encounter as you read to your child, you know what I mean. They observe and think of things that almost never occur to a grown up. Yes, those constant interruptions could get annoying. But, each one of them is a part of the discovery process.

Reading instills a love of…well, books:
As you read to your baby everyday, she’s beginning to see the beauty and power of print and you’re instilling in her a love for the written word. It may be a while before your baby actually begins to read, but, once you’ve established that reading is fun, it’s going to be hard to keep her away from books.

Reading encourages independence:
If your child doesn’t have siblings to play with, a play date doesn’t show up, your family is taking a long road trip or if you have to attend to something important, reading is one activity that can keep your child engaged for hours, by himself, in a productive, positive way. If you raise a reader, you almost never have to worry about him being bored. Just as adults who enjoy reading seldom feel bored when they have time to kill, kids who are read to regularly begin to enjoy being around books. They can almost always find something to read no matter where you are and are thus less likely to be dependent on you to provide them constant entertainment.