7 Reasons You Should Read to Your Child From as Early as Possible

Matthew Imerhion

Do you often wonder why one would bother reading to a 2-year-old who probably wouldn’t understand a word of what’s being read? Well, here are some important reasons you should read out loud to your child regularly from as early as possible.

1. A ‘Need To Know’ basis…

Children need to be taught close to everything they learn. You cannot leave it all to the school teachers to teach your them how to read. While television may help superficially, TV addiction will cause a negative long term effect.

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Reading to them at an early stage, however, will make books ‘familiar’ and welcome, so that they won’t struggle to keep up when school eventually starts.

2. Olympian Scholars

Some fantasize about it while others experience it – the day the class teacher or proprietor says, ‘Oh, your child is such a fast learner, one of the best in his class!’ Except for those very few ‘gifted’ children, most intelligent kids are intelligent only because there have been a conscious efforts by their parents, and siblings in some cases, to introduce reading constantly to them from when they were toddlers. This coupled with engaging them actively in games that have to do with words (and figures) really helps.

So, another reason you should read to your child is so that he can catch up fast in his academics and become an Olympian scholar.

3. Close Your Eyes and Imagine…

Reading to your toddler helps to build her imaginative skills. The stories and illustrations in books help your child develop and exercise the ability to think vividly. This in turn helps her to be generally creative in the long term, especially when it comes to problem solving.

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4. A chapter a day…

A chapter a day drives the devil away! This is a popular saying that pertains to the Bible and religious pursuits. In this case however, ignorance is the devil that will be sent fleeing as you start reading to your child as early as possible. This directly affects your child’s intelligence and world-view.

5. Wow, My Brain’s a Camera.

Between the ages of 6 and 18 months, a child’s brain is at its peak. As you read to children, they imagine or visualize, developing an unwavering attention span, and so increase their capacity to remember these images. Sometimes though, it’s the words and intonation that they latch on to or memorize.

If your tot has become fond of a particular book, deliberately live out a passage or a character and see if she will not notice. This is a good way to test her attention span and capability to recollect. You can also observe her recite poetry or passages of stories as she grows older.

6. SHH! LISTEN.

As you read to your child, she starts to imagine, and the drama that is being played out in her mind’s eye keeps her quiet. Unconsciously, the ability to listen is born and developed. You may assume that the ability to listen is given much like common sense but look around you and I’ll bet you won’t find many people who have the common sense to listen without interrupting.

This ability of listening properly is an ingredient that is needed to improve the quality of relationships all over the world, no matter the age bracket. In essence, reading to your toddler helps her develop the ability to listen, and properly too.

READ ALSO:10 Signs Your Child May Be Needing Glasses

7. When I Grow Up…

Finally, and definitely not the least important, your child will grow fond of some characters in the stories. This, as well as the lessons gleaned from these stories, are building blocks for the kind of person your child will grow up to be. For instance, stories like Pinocchio can help build an honest character while a nursery rhyme like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star will help your child develop a reflective character.

Are you reading to your child yet? When did you start?