The Simple Act of Reading

While I always knew the advantages of reading to a child from an early age, it took me three years to truly understand its importance. To go on preaching something that has obvious benefits versus seeing the magical results manifest right in front of you are two very different things.

Reading to kids is about more than just raising them to be smart…

Yes, it makes me proud that words like “mayhem” “absolutely” and “probably” are a part of common vocabulary in my 3.5 year olds day of nonstop jabbering. But the true magic lies in how expanded her vision is because of thoughts that are so whole and complete.

I have been a parent for three and a half years now, but I continue to be amazed each and every day with all the wonderful things they soak into their beautiful minds. I am even more in awe of the process each new experience undergoes in their little brains, and the words they choose to connect these thoughts and relay them to us.

Studies show that there is a million word gap for children who aren’t read at home. That is a million less words for children to process experiences, emotions and things they see around them. The simple act of reading to your child at home gives them tools to comprehend the world around them, how they feel, how they communicate what they feel and think, and have more control in the process of making sense of things they see and do. All it takes is a simple act of reading.

Emotional Intelligence and Other Fruits

When I started to read to Little Miss A at birth, my focus was to raise an emotionally intelligent child. What I got in return was a lot more than that. I got a child that reasons with logic, asks relevant questions, answers with clarity and is contextually present in most conversations a child her age can be a part of. The biggest advantage – ease in parenting. Little guess work and a more collaborative upbringing where the child has a significant say.

My daughter and her generation are generally, in my belief, a lot more confident than we ever were growing up. The kids who are able to take this confidence and utilise it with the power of words allows us to raise self-confident children able to first – entangle the complexities of life in their own minds and then communicate their ideas, thoughts and needs with relative ease.

All of this, with the simple act of reading.