In the busyness of everyday life, many parents in the midst of dinner, baths and homework put reading aloud to their kids on the bottom of the priority list. However, spending at least 10 minutes a day reading aloud to children from day one, according to Mem Fox in her book "Reading Magic," can benefit them in countless ways. "Books are filled with delights, facts, fun, and food for thought," she says, increasing brain and emotional development.
Brain Development
In "Teaching Struggling Readers," the International Reading Association emphasizes the importance reading aloud has on brain development: "the more stimulation the baby has through its senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing, the more rapidly that development will occur." Reading aloud also helps expose kids to learning and "children begin to recognize and form letters, to read familiar words encountered in books, and to recognize countless other places and things in their environment."
Learning Advantage
Along with more extensive brain development also comes better preparation for later learning. According to studies by the IRA, children who are read to by their parents are "likely to come to school with some basic understandings of literacy and are eager to learn more." Once exposed to the excitement of learning in a home environment, children will feel the transition to school as a more normal experience.
Emotional Growth
Being read to as a child not only increases brain power but also positively effects emotional growth. "Read-aloud sessions are perfect times for engaging ... because the reader and the listener can chat endlessly about the story, the pictures, the words, the values and the ideas," states Fox.
Beverly Cleary, author of the famous Ramona children's series, reminisces on her joy of reading coming from her mother at an early age. "She read aloud to my father and me in the evening ... children should learn that reading is pleasure, not just something that teachers make you do in school," she says in an interview with Mirrian Drennan.
Future Benefits
Aside from the immediate benefits of reading aloud to children, it also offers future rewards for the community and world overall. Fox confirms that "governments now realize that by providing attention, time and funds to promoting early literacy, less of their budgets later will need to be spent on illiteracy, crime, depression, unemployment and welfare benefits." Children flourish in love and attention from their parents; not only do children thrive but parents will enjoy the small things they do to create cherished memories of their babies.
References
- "Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever"; Mem Fox; 2008
- "Teaching Struggling Readers"; Richard L. Allington; International Reading Association; 1998
- BookPage: I Can See Cleary Now; Mirrian Drennan
