One of the skills a child needs to grow is reading, it is the most useful thing a human being can achieve to succeed in life. So developing good reading habits is more than an obligation, is an investment. As parents we have the challenge of installing such a good habits from an early stage in our kids (even if we are not great book lovers) because we are their first teachers and examples of life. What can those habits do for the child´s development? Keep “reading” and you will find out the answer.
Better vocabulary: when a child reads is exposed to more new words and phrases than he normally uses in a daily conversation. He gets an enriched language and if the parents read aloud with him his pronunciation improves and also his cognitive performance.
More attention: distraction is the preferred company of children, they can pass from one thing to another without effort, so reading helps them to get focused for longer periods of time.
Preparation for school: toddlers who are taught to be in contact with books or spend hours reading prior to attending school are better prepared than others and will have an easier time adapting to the environment of learning.
Love for books: it is possible to learn to enjoy reading as any other activity of entertainment. Children who love to read from an early age are more likely to enjoy reading later in life.
Reading promotes interest for knowledge: children with good reading habits easily learn about other cultures and develop interest for any knowledge and research. Reading leads to asking questions and seeking answers, which means children learn more every day.
As parents, how can we motivate in our children good reading habits? There are many ways to do that, you can have a routine of reading every night letting them choose the book also the entire family can stimulate comments or short conversations about the content of the reading. We always must remember that parents are models so try to read a little more in front of your children than you’ve been reading lately (books, newspapers, blogs, magazines… everything works), talk to them about your feelings about the text. Another good practice is visiting the local library or your favorite bookstore, this last one always has a special place for kids that truly motivates reading and the best benefit, is a great place to explore new books and authors for free.
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