I still have those beautiful memories fresh in my mind when my bother would read me stories before putting me to bed. She would read me different kinds of stories ranging from enticing fairy tales to stories with a moral. I thoroughly enjoyed this session. I would browse through the mesmerizing pictures which took me to a completely different place. Gradually, as I grew up I started enjoying reading. I had an amazing collection of Nancy Drew, Enid Blyton, The Famous Five and various others. When I moved to college, I upgraded myself to study some serious and intense authors like Paulo Coelho, Shakespeare etc. This one habit that my mother inculcated in me made me a voracious reader. I also choose to read books over watching television because this is one thing that I enjoy doing every day.
When I become a mother, one day I saw a mother reading stories to her child in the train. I was instantly reminded of my childhood days when I would wait for bedtime stories with utmost desperation. I have highlighted 6 very important reasons which make parents reading to their children a significant task. Read on to know the benefits of reading to your kids.
1. A sweet way to spend quality time
After a busy day, when you sit and relax with your child, holding him close to you and reading a beautiful story to him, it is surely the best time of your day. For all those parents who are working, this is the time you get to spend with your child.
2. A way to bond
Over bedtime story sessions, you end up building a strong and warm bond with your child. Despite a busy day, when you take out time to read him a small story, he feels loved. While reading him, you hug him, pamper him, kiss him. All these sweet little gestures make your relationship all the more strong.
3. A silent way to teach
You must randomly select such stories which have a moral in the end. This way you are not actually teaching something to your kid but with the help of the story, you are telling him the right thing to do. This kind of learning will always help him in become a much better person in life.
4. Great way to build imagination, improve communication and speaking skills
When you read a story to your child, he is able to imagine all that you are telling him in his mind. He is introduced to new words everyday which he is able to learn and use in his communication. He learns to pronounce words correctly. He is able to have stronger command over the language, vocabulary and grammar, few things for which you will never have to take special classes.
5. Inculcating habit of reading
Reading is very important to learn new things and expose yourself to new worlds. By reading bedtime stories, you can contribute in making your child a reader by choice. The habit of reading can gradually be developed and it will stay with him forever. This is also the best way to utilize their time instead of watching TV and playing video games.
6. Helps them become wise and smart individuals
Books always influence children in a positive way. They teach them about the right things to do, about right judgments to make, about logical reasoning etc. This kind of learning helps them become stronger, more confident, wiser and smarter individuals who know what is the right thing to do.
All of these benefits clearly highlight that just by investing 20-30 minutes of your day reading to your child can make such a big difference in their lives. So if you want your child to learn good things, always read stories to him before making him sleep and enjoy the amazing transformation that you will witness quite soon.