Following a good story is really enriching! Especially for children, family reading is a moment of connection with a lot of fun and curiosity.
The activity promotes with each new story, the experience of getting to know a completely new world. This way, it stimulates the development of creativity and emotions in the little ones. However, this moment must be productive so that children, mums, and dads can reap all the benefits provided by family reading.
1. The Importance of Reading in Family
The habit of reading in the family begins earlier than you might think. Still in the womb, from the 20th week of gestation onwards, the baby begins to identify its parents’ voice and at this moment emotional bonds begin to emerge.
Through reading, the child develops curiosity and is exposed to a world of new discoveries, such as: sounds, colours, and flavours. In addition to cognitive and social skills, that is why it is important to introduce books into daily life in the first years of life.
After all, reading in the family is much more pleasurable because it is inserted in the context of “playing”, that is, a playful activity full of learning.
It is important to say that children learn by observing our actions and attitudes and, therefore, we recommend mums and dads and those responsible to practice activities related to literature. In this way, the child’s view of the habit of reading will be a super positive, fun, and pleasurable experience.
2. How to Prepare for the Moment
At first, pay attention to the age range of the works and if the theme is relevant to the child. This way, they will be able to understand the story and will be interested in following it in the company of their parents. Apart from choosing a good story, it is essential to prepare a cosy corner! One tip is to find a room in the house where there are fewer stimuli capable of distracting the child’s attention.
If you want to make the activity more playful, use your imagination: you can improvise a hut and associate this scenario to a magical moment to accompany the reading. And since we are talking about making the activity even more fun, mums and dads can take on the personality of the characters and bring emotion to the storytelling. For example, you can pick up your Lu, the lamp dragon book and make a thinner voice for a smaller character and a deeper voice for characters represented as big, so the reading moment becomes a great game! Your child will get enthusiastic about the stories and will be interested in following other books.
After reading, take some time to talk to your child about what was read. Ask if they liked the book, what they expected at the end of the story, what they thought of the protagonist’s actions, etc. The important thing is for the child to absorb the ideas and teachings behind each story told.
Family reading time should be organised and held periodically. In this way, the whole family can plan, choose the book in advance, and create a pleasurable activity to strengthen family bonds.
Being more present in your child’s daily life through reading does not exclude, of course, the scheduling of other fun family activities. These moments are essential for you to feel more connected and for your little one to have a healthier childhood development.
3. The Benefits of Reading in Children’s Development
Children’s stories are very valuable opportunities that allow children to get to know new words and expressions that they do not hear very often. In this way, the greater this contact with different vocabularies, the greater the relationship created between sounds, images, and writing.
In addition, the habit of reading stimulates the development of memory, emotions, perception, reasoning, concentration, creativity, oral language and even acts on the quality of sleep. However, despite the benefits of family reading, parents should not force their children to do the activity if they are not willing. Books should be associated with something positive so that it is a playful moment and promotes family conviviality.
Also, if you need a little help to strengthen the family bond with your child through leisure and learning, you can count on Materlu!
