Reading to you kids strengthens your relationship and helps in their development. But when should you stop reading to them? That’s the question one theAsianparent Community user had for the community.
Most parents stop reading aloud to their kids too early
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents read out loud to their kids every day until they at least reach kindergarten, and that’s when many parents on theAsianparent Community stopped. “I stopped when he was in primary school,” Kim H. said. “That’s when he started reading to me, so I can monitor his learning and speech.”
This is consistent with the findings of Scholastic in a recent survey. They found that more than 90% of parents read to their children before the age of 6, but 23% stop reading aloud before age 9.
These parents stopped reading to their kids so that they could encourage their kids to read independently, but many of these children didn’t want their parents to stop reading aloud to them. 8 in 10 children love being read to. They see reading as a special and fun time with mom or dad. “We normally let our 5-year-old read by himself,” wrote Mabel C. “But he still prefers to have us read to him, so he just tags along when we read to my 3-year-old.”
Click to the next page to find out about the benefits of reading aloud to your child, and how long you should do it.
Benefits of reading aloud to your child
- It’s a good way to bond with your child.
- It builds their language skills.
- It enhances their concentration and discipline.
- It teaches them the value of keeping quiet and listening.
- It teaches them how to appreciate reading.
Photo: Pixabay
Read aloud to your child for as long as they want you to
Even older children can benefit from being read to. According to educator Jim Trelease, a child’s reading level doesn’t catch up to his listening level until the eighth grade, so parents can and should be reading more advanced books to kids.
Subhashini B., a teacher on theAsianparent Community, encouraged other parents to read to their children aloud even into high school. “Beyond the valuable bonding time it provides you with your child it allows for a number of educational benefits,” she explained. “First, even when a child can read, they need to keep building skills such as fluency which can be learned from hearing stories read aloud.
“Additionally, it sets the tone that reading is important. Being a reader is the number one predictor of student success. If you encourage your child to be a reader and show them it is so important that you take time every day to do it with them, it sends a powerful message to you kids.”
READ: How to raise kids who prefer reading to screentime
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