Reading to children has long been known to provide advantages and benefits to them.  Why this is so is something to think about as parents try to determine how they can better support the development of their children.  The act of reading offers benefits by itself but offers more when done by a loving parent to a child.  Reading imparts knowledge but reading to a child offers deeper bonding opportunities that will not always be available between parent and child.

When to Start Reading to Children

Many mothers start reading to their children even before they were born.  They believe that they can never be too early to start.  Most start guiding their children to read at the age of 2 to 3 years old.  The determining factor for reading readiness in very young children is their manifested interest in handling books.  

Since their tender age prevents them from knowing any better, books may be inadvertently damaged during handling.  It is highly recommended to use hard-board books for children at this stage.  Highly-treasured books should not be given to them and are best reserved for use when they are older.

Basic Learning

Reading to a child to support basic academic learning is fundamental.  Parents are aware that the basic skills that will have to be developed first are reading and writing before any success in school learning is to be expected.  Early reading exposes a child to reading fundamentals that can help them cross-over from pretend-reading or merely scanning the books for their pictures to actual reading..

When a parent patiently reads to a child, reinforced learning in word meaning, pronunciation, diction, and over-all understanding  is made possible.  This is because parents are available for questioning  at the very instance when there is doubt on the part of the child.  Speech skills and mastery of language can be obtained much earlier by children who are into reading together with their parents.

How to Read to a Child

Reading to a child requires some creativity on the part of the parent.  This may require change in voice tones and expressions to help the child better understand the story.  It may also require acting out the part/s to encourage the child to become more involved as the story progresses.

Simple and easy-to-understand books are the best. Children can be exposed to good books by bringing them to libraries and bookstores.  They can participate in making a choice to ensure their cooperation and participation during actual reading sessions.

My Say

Children take their cue from parents.  It will be difficult to convince them to read books when they see no such example being set by their parents.  Reading to a child accomplishes two objectives at once - that of learning and fostering better relationships between parent and child.

That said, reading to children especially just before bedtime provides comfort and peace.  The voice of the reading parent provides a soothing and reassuring presence that helps build up confidence in a child.  Reading to a child is probably one of the simplest things we can do as parents that can provide immeasurable benefits to our children.