As parents, we always hope to inculcate the best of habits in our children. Be it encouraging physical activities or being responsible about certain age-specific chores. For most parents the habit that tops this list is usually ‘reading’. And why not? However, according to this report there is a certain way in which parents must read to children.
According to neuroscience, just reading to your children may not be enough. What’s more vital is to read WITH them. Reading to young ones in this manner will develop greater intellectual empathy and help them become more successful. Considering the fact that most parents will do just about anything to raise their kids to be successful individuals, this doesn’t sound like too much work, does it?
To begin with, read to your kids. That’s the absolute basic rule. Get them hooked to the habit of reading and being read to, early in life. Next, read with your kids. Just reading to kids is “bare minimum” says neuroscientist Erin Clabough, according to this report. Instead, read with them. Of course, it will be more time consuming. However, it will definitely be more effective. Most parents read to the kids at bedtime with the intention of making them sleepy or ticking off names from the school’s reading list. But then, is that all that we want?
What’s more, reading can be a lot more fun, enrich your relationship with your kids, will boost their self-esteem and communication skills and make them more empathetic. Here are some more benefits of reading which you may have never thought of:
- Academic excellence: Reading raises the aptitude for learning in general, in toddlers and preschoolers. It’s sheer logic. If a child is not well-versed with letters and words, how can we expect him to put together words in a sentence? If a child can’t read sentences, he is bound to struggle with maths, science and social sciences in school. The better prepared the child, the less stressful it is for him to excel in school.
- Improves communication skills: By listening to and watching the interactions between the characters in the books we read, our young ones gain valuable lessons in communication skills. They’ll be much more likely to express themselves and relate to others in a healthy way.
- Develops logical thinking skills: As your child gets exposed to various scenarios in the books, he will able to grasp concepts, apply logic and recognise cause and effect.
- Better concentration and discipline: Nothing improves concentration in a child as reading. While in the beginning, it may be a task to make them stay put, once they get the hang and high of reading, their concentration and discipline will automatically improve.
Books have the power to benefit people, irrespective of how young or old they are. As a parent, reading to your child and reading WITH your child is perhaps one of the best gifts you could ever give him. Happy reading!
Republished with permission from: The Indus Parent
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