Do you think it is too early to introduce your child to reading or doing you think it is passe? Or are you wondering if there are any benefits to this habit? If you wonder what the big deal is, let me open your eyes to my world and tell you how reading is instrumental in aiding change and opens your mind to new ideas and possibilities. So what are the benefits of reading for your child?
Books as my best buddy
My brother often teased me by calling me’ Special Appearance’ because every year, I had a new friend who would cease to be my friend the following year. What he didn’t know or failed to understand was that I had a constant friend all through my childhood, and that was -books! Now don’t get shocked with that because I am by no means comparing human interaction with reading, but I want to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of having books as a permanent friend for your child.
I was a book worm even as a child. I read all sorts of books that I could get my hand on. In school, I had my impromptu book fair, where I would trade mine for new ones. Because of obsession for books, I introduced my children to them to it very early in life. I began reading to them when they were babies and read them books with pictures. I was a bit militant about it because no one knows the benefits of reading more than me. So let’s find out the things I learnt from reading.
10 Surprising Benefits of Reading for kids
Books taught me a lot. Some of the benefits of reading books for your child are:
Living a life of adventure
The first benefit of reading for your child is that books are fun. They took me to places I had never been nor could imagine as a child. It was like living in an adventure where I would meet different people and situations. It subtly taught me how to interact in different situations.
Books give hope
The second benefit of reading for your child is that reading books teaches hope. It taught me that life and situations are always changing and never constant. It taught me never to get disheartened and to look forward to life. Cinderella was in the cinders for a while, but later, she marries the Prince and becomes a Queen. It taught me that life might be a roller coaster, but we must learn to enjoy the ride because there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Books talk about transformation
The next benefit of reading for your child is that all books have a story of transformation. In them, the protagonist or hero is on a journey from point A to point B, transforming and beating fear and odds that are against them. It teaches you that life is not full of unicorns and rainbows but has its fair share of struggles. Seeing the main character doing impossible things made me believe that I could too and gave me the motivation for it as well.
Books teach that nothing is impossible.
When I was reading, I felt that anything and everything was possible. I learnt that there was nothing impossible if you put your mind to it. As I read books like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Famous five, reading about kids doing great things, it motivated me to do extraordinary feats and impossible things for my age. It made me believe that I could do whatever I set my mind too.
Books teach you to dig deep and not believe only the superficial
Mystery books taught me to dig deep to find out the truth and nothing is what it seems on the surface. It taught me to always search for hidden truth if I wanted to get to the bottom of things to learn more.
Independence became a part of me
Through books, I learnt to depend on myself and knew that I was capable of many things. All the characters were strong and did stuff themselves, and through them, I realised that we can do things independently and don’t always need someone to come to our rescue
Reading taught me to enjoy my own company
Reading taught me to enjoy my own company. If I ever felt alone or lonely, I knew I could turn to books to keep me company.
It is calming and great for your imagination
Reading has a calming effect as the author lets your imagination run wild. The author weaves the story, and your imagination plays the rest of the havoc. It helps you get creative
It increases your vocabulary.
The obvious benefit of reading is that it improves vocabulary.
It makes you empathetic
Through books, you get into the skin of many characters and see things from a different point of view. It makes you empathise with them.
Tips to get children to start reading
So you can see I am very biased. Reading has way too many benefits for your child. However, this does not mean that I believe in forcing children to read nor belittling children if they cannot read at an age-appropriate stage. In my opinion, that is a sure recipe for disaster. I am an advocate for building reading habits for kids and found the following things useful to make reading an integral part of your child’s life.
Start early- The early bird catches the worm
If you have young kids and want to encourage them to read, start as soon as you can and don’t waste any time. There are numerous resources available and books for many age groups. Reading to kids as early as babies encourages the habit as it not only builds curiosity but is a good bedtime routine.
Use age-appropriate books and interesting books.
Use age-appropriate books and books that you believe that your child will find interesting. Check out the following for the 100 best books for kids from 0-10 years.
Teaching your Child to read
If you are not happy with the reading standards of your child’s school or want to teach the reading habit from your end, I found the following site useful. Starfall is helpful to help kids to read. The site is very new-generation and keeps with current trends. I used the free resources available in it and to teach my older daughter. My younger one, who was two at the time, got used to hearing my older one saying her phonics and blindly imitated her and began her journey. Both my kids are bright readers for their age, partly because I was obsessed with reading and thanks to Starfall.
Conclusion
So if you ever want to give your child a gift for life, the one I would vouch for is to introduce them to reading from an early age. It has helped me broaden my thoughts and horizons, helped me become strong, courageous, independent, resilient and compassionate. So encourage your child to enjoy the many benefits of reading.
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