EVERY day should be a reading day! Here’s why.
“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Words are magical. They intertwine, collide, fuse, and reassemble, and with the push of a pen or the tap of a keyboard, they transform themselves into poetry, plays, lyrics, legends, memoirs, theories, fairy tales, and grand adventures.
Stories read aloud with children offer a wealth of opportunities for them to experience sounds, gaze at pictures, and make countless connections. Reading together promotes closeness. Reading is also foundational for brain-building. Children’s brains grow rapidly, and neural pathways develop as children respond to external influences— including environments and experiences. Storytimes and reading enjoyment can be catalysts for learning by enriching those ever-shifting environments and day-to-day experiences. There’s little doubt that reading (lots, together, independently, aloud) intensifies children’s understandings of people, places, and things.
Dr. Seuss expressed it aptly and succinctly with this short rhyme: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you go.”
For children, books are portals into new and exciting realms—past, present, future, distant, and wherever the mind or imagination chooses to go. That could be anywhere! For parents, books are like a record or study of humankind, offering pleasure and also information, and providing reassurance, strategies, guidance, and intellectual capital. Indeed, parents who read and show a love of reading are well-positioned to influence their children’s reading habits, and to convey why reading has value.
The Value Of Reading
“Kids can read by themselves, but it’s also important to read aloud to them. That will help to build their knowledge base, increase their vocabulary, set the tone for life-long reading, and foster connectivity. Make time for reading aloud.” – ABCs of Raising Smarter Kids, p.127
Here are some reasons why parents should prioritize reading with their children:
