Mission
Mission Moments Blog
Reaping the Benefits of Reading Aloud
By Linda Pryor, Executive Director, The Center for Mission & Academics
Do you love to read? Or, maybe, do you wish that you were a more voracious reader? Either way, if you are a parent, you want your child to enjoy reading and develop a good habit of regular reading. But how?
Do you love to read? Or, maybe, do you wish that you were a more voracious reader? Either way, if you are a parent, you want your child to enjoy reading and develop a good habit of regular reading. But how?
Or perhaps your child is already a great reader - and fills their free time with books, just not the type of book that you had hoped - such as books that will increase their vocabulary or truly spark their imaginations, or stretch them to broaden their horizons. What can a parent do when their child’s reading tastes are narrow and lack inspiration?
The answer is simple - take 20-30 minutes a day - and read to your child. It will make a big difference. No matter their age, no matter the time of day, just start the habit of reading to them and over time, you will reap great benefits. It may be a bit rocky at first - if they are not used to putting down devices or turning off the TV. Just persevere. It will become a favorite time of day. Once begun, many families find that they enjoy reading to each other well into high school and beyond.
Meghan Cox Gurdon, author of The Enchanted Hour, puts it this way, “The time we spend reading aloud is like no other time. A miraculous alchemy takes place when one person reads to another, one that converts the ordinary stuff of life - a book, a voice, a place to sit, and a bit of time - into astonishing fuel for the heart, the mind, and the imagination.”
I am convinced that reading aloud to your child will build a love of reading in everyone involved but there are many other benefits from this simple family habit:
- Reading aloud to our children has proven to be an excellent way to stimulate brain development.
- Reading aloud also enhances literacy skills building both vocabulary and language skills.
- Reading to one’s children strengthens the bonds of love and affection in a family and is known to reduce the anxieties and stresses of the day.
- Reading aloud can even help to lengthen a child’s focus and ability to attend as a listener.
- Finally, reading aloud as Gurdon states, can “build a wealth of knowledge, pass on the classics, and nurture a child’s aesthetic senses.
All these dear gifts we can provide for our loved ones through the magic of picture books, novels, fables, and more. Sharing stories together within a family is far more powerful than we realize. Take a moment, pull your children close and give it a try. There will be countless happy memories ahead.
Get started on your family’s read-aloud journey!
