Why Reading to Your Child Is Important

• posted by TheBlueElephant
• on January 22, 2020
• Category: Education

The image of a parent reading their child a bedtime story is one of the most iconic of it means to be a parent – and as it turns out, there’s strong scientific support for the importance of this kind of nightly ritual. Reading is one of the best ways for children to stimulate their imagination while developing their cognitive and linguistic abilities, and reading to a child helps with many crucial aspects of development. At The Blue Elephant, our mission is to help every child be their best self by offering world-class private preschool to kids in Frisco and the surrounding areas, so we’d like to take a moment to explore what makes reading to your child so important. 

Why You Should Read to Your Child

It may be tempting to skip that bedtime story after a long day, but your child is missing more than just a story. Reading to your child carries a number of impressive benefits, so whether you read to your child at night before bed or during the day, here are some important reasons to keep up with it:

• Cognitive Training: As adults, we’re able to read most books and follow every detail of the story without skipping a beat. But for kids, it’s not so easy. Reading to your child trains their mind to keep track of events in a story, enhancing their cognitive abilities. 
• Language Skills: Another critical benefit is sheer linguistic proficiency. Reading aloud to your child helps them get a handle on language and teaches them new words to use, with some research showing that reading aloud can improve a child’s vocabulary by 40%.
• Increase Empathy: By hearing stories about other people, your child learns to empathize with them. This helps your child learn empathy for others and pick up on the social rules that govern everyday life. 
• The Power of Ritual: Kids thrive on ritual, and a bedtime story is one of the most powerful. The routine aspect will delight your little one, and it can also be a great way to help them prepare for bed. 
• Bonding: Finally, reading to your child is an opportunity for true quality time. Nothing beats bonding over a great story!

Contact Your Frisco Early Childhood Education Center

We hope this blog helps shed some light on the importance of reading aloud to your child, and we encourage you to read to your child more whether you do currently or not. But in addition to bedtime stories, children need a nurturing classroom environment to grow into their best selves. That’s exactly what we provide at The Blue Elephant, and if you’d like to see it in action, we’d love to speak with you. Contact us to schedule a tour and join the TBE family today!