What You’ll Hear in This Episode
When I taught in the primary grades, I found that the children who excelled in learning to read, were the children whose parents read to them.
It doesn’t have to be an hour.
The Importance of Reading to Children
Just 15-20 minutes a day of reading to your children increases their desire to learn to read, and make faster progress in actually learning to read.
Whenever we have our grandchildren over they will always sit with us for quite a long time just listening to us read to them.
They’ve heard some of the books many times, yet they still choose their favorites and listen quietly as we read them again.
Reading Over and Over Again – Still Enjoyable
I was thinking about why that was as I was reading, yet again, Clark the Shark to some grandchildren.
Although the story is cute and we love to use particular voices for each character,
I noticed that when we sit on the couch – grandchildren on either side – they lean into me.
Their head is usually resting on my arm and their whole body leans up against me.
They relax and are calm.
The Most Important Outcome of Reading to Children
While I firmly believe that reading to children every day from a very young age is important in their educational development, the physical and intimate bonding that happens during reading together is, in my opinion, more important.
The rest into me.
They trust me as we feel the emotions of the story together.
The know that they have my undivided attention – no phone and no household chores to distract me from them.
Create Your Own Library at Home
Commit to reading to your children at least 15-20 minutes every day.
My husband and I went to ½ Priced books and got a whole library of books in great condition for very little money.
Turn off the TV, turn off the ipads and playstations.
Sit with your children and read and bond.
The interesting thing is that when my grandchildren had to leave, I found that I wanted to linger with them
On the couch
Bonding emotionally and physically.
Give an emotional boost to your children and to you and commit to reading together every day.
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