If you were to meet my five-year-old niece, you would feel like we are sworn enemies. We have nothing in common. In fact, you would rarely see us make eye contact in a public place. We’ve been practicing social distancing even before COVID.
However, whenever she visits home and sees me reading a book, she’ll come to me. She’ll snuggle and cuddle me and say, “Uncle, please read me this book.” At that moment, we forget all our enmities and become best buddies. And let me tell you this – there is no greater joy for me than reading my niece a nice story.
As said earlier, reading to a child is therapeutic to the reader (parent) and the child as well. It helps improve the bonding between the two generations apart from individuals. However, reading also has positive, measurable effects on a child’s brain development.
This blog takes a look at the top seven effects of reading on a child’s brain development.
- Improves Bonding
Reading is one of the easiest and most wonderful ways to connect with your kid. It helps improve parent-child bonding in an easy manner. There is research to back this claim.
Moreover, the activity of reading to your child can make them feel more secure. This can help with the child’s brain development in a positive manner. As the child matures, they will develop qualities like empathy, trust, and self-awareness due to reading.
You can take out just ten to twenty minutes daily for a reading session with your children. Depending on the age of the children, you can choose fiction, non-fiction, prose, or poetry books. Whatever you choose, make sure that you have a great time with your kid.
- Increases Vocabulary
Books contain words that we don’t often use in our daily communications. Thus, reading books helps children be exposed to a number and variety of words. A study found that kids who were read to during the first five years of their lives are exposed to 1.4 million more words than kids who are never read to!
You can make use of AI-based storytelling apps with voice identification and word recognition technology for reading purposes for your children. This ensures that kids are not only exposed to new words, but they end up reading and pronouncing the words correctly.
This can further assist in better brain development by reading as children learn new words without any learning hesitation or mistake. It helps boost the confidence of the child too.
- Enhances Imagination and Visualization
We know that children have vivid imaginations without any limits. Reading serves further to feed their imagination and visualization. They tend to explore places, places, animals, oceans, times, and events mentioned in books all through their imaginative minds.
Reading leads to improved development of the parts of the brain associated with visual imagery, comprehension, and word meaning.
Studies have shown that the brain parts mentioned earlier are more active in kids who are read to often than kids who are not read to daily.
When children begin imagining, they start visualizing things they haven’t experienced yet. It can help improve their problem-solving capabilities too. This can prove useful in their adult life. Some of the greatest inventions ever made in human history were born from a wild imagination.
- Improves Listening Skills
Some experts believe that children should acquire listening skills before they can read themselves. If you are reading to your toddler, it develops and enhances their listening skills.
Listening skills come in handy throughout a person’s life. It can prove useful during school and college days, in relationships, and in the professional journey of the individual.
Thus, if you have a toddler at home, make it a habit to read to them daily. It will prove helpful in later years.
- Enhances Attention Span
A toddler who is easily distracted can be found in every home. Having a low attention span is not good for a child. It can even develop into Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Such children are known to have low self-esteem, troubled relationships and poor school performance.
Reading can help develop concentration and ultimately enhance the attention span of the child. A study has shown that no matter how distracted the child is, they eventually learn to sit still during reading. This helps with reading comprehension. With comprehension comes self-discipline, increased memory retention, and enhanced attention span.
- Develops Character
Reading teaches children the world around them. Especially if they read non-fiction largely. They start understanding what is right and what is wrong. They learn how to behave in society. Moreover, they also learn how to respond to different people and situations.
This is because reading develops the emotional and social skills of the child quickly. Especially if done from a young age. Children learn to employ them in their daily lives more effectively.
As the child grows, they develop a good, morally-right character which shapes them into an ideal individual in society.
- Provides Life Lessons
Reading books prepares children for the life ahead by providing them with valuable life lessons. Books talk about real-world situations and teach how to respond to them.
The lessons provided can be related to simple as well as complex situations.
For example, children may learn something as simple as booking an appointment at the doctor or something as complex as heartbreaks, academic failures, and other life lessons.
Parting Thoughts
It is undeniable that reading has positive effects on a child’s brain development. It is important for their success in their personal and professional lives. It can also determine how they turn out to be as adults.
If you haven’t started reading to your child yet – START TODAY! There is no age limit for your kids to start reading to them. Babies, toddlers, pre-teens – all can benefit from having someone read to them.
The easiest way to include reading in your child’s life is to make it a part of their bedtime routine. No matter how erratic their daily schedule is, they go to bed eventually. You and your kid can read together then.
So, what are you waiting for? Find a good storybook, some nice place to sit or snuggle, a cold coffee, some motivation, and some precious time. Which book are you planning to start reading to your kid? Let us know.
