Why should you read to your child?
Education experts always advise that parents read to their children from an early age, because this besides it creates a love for reading and exploration in the future, but it also strengthens the bond between parents and their children as a useful and enjoyable activity that they practice together, and the benefits of reading for children are summarized in the following points:
Reading is the most important way to fulfill the role of the Early Learning Partner
Parents practice with their children various educational roles that can be summarized in eight roles, according to researcher Ferguson, who believes that this role is the most important of them at all. If the educator is keen to make learning and acquiring knowledge an interesting and interesting thing for the child by participating in the child’s various educational activities such as reading stories to him before bed or Telling him stories appropriate to his age, instead of leaving him in front of the screens alone, this will make him a lover of education, knowledgeable and a lot of knowledge, which will pave the way for the creation of a conscious, educated and active person in his society and in the world as well.
Important for the development of the child's cognitive abilities
The mind is like any muscle in the body, the more it is used as it grows and develops, so stimulating the child's mind with activities such as reading works to strengthen the nerve connections between parts of the brain, as well as forming new nerve connections, which means the development of the child's mentality and cognitive functions better.
Learn about the world around them
Reading to the child and telling him stories and tales are the most important windows from which he overlooks the world, as it introduces him to places and peoples and broadens his perceptions outside his small world confined to home and school. And the more diverse the books that we read to our children or provide at home, the more they know, the greater their perceptions, and the greater their experiences.
Increase his vocabulary and ability to speak
Reading to the child on a regular basis exposes the child to new vocabulary and teaches him how to use different language expressions to express what is going on in his mind, and the child's ability to speak properly is proportional to the amount he hears by those around him. Reading exciting stories to a child is one of the strongest motivators for him to increase his vocabulary and to be able to speak fluently later.
So how do we get used to the child to read?
At first I create a motivation for him to read
It's not that we tell the child that reading is a good habit and that it should be read, but rather that we take advantage of children's innate inclination to ask questions and their curiosity to explore what is happening around them to encourage them to read. Instead of suppressing these questions, we encourage him to ask more and do not give him ready-made answers. Rather, we ask him to think about the answers to what is going on in his mind, and when he cannot answer we tell him that we can find the answer to that question if we read together a book that discusses the topic he is asking about. This behavior, in addition to expanding his awareness and giving him more horizons, will be practical evidence of the importance of reading.
Read to your child and tell stories
What you practice with your child in a practical way is equivalent to thousands of verbal commands without any application on the ground. When you regularly tell your child interesting stories that are appropriate for his age, this develops in him a feeling that he would like to know more and more about the matters covered by those stories and stories, and then you tell him that we know more about Those things must be read books and stories.
Set an example for your child
Like any action we would like our children to learn, your child must see you as you read to be convinced of the importance of reading and the correctness of what you say about it. As we explained earlier , children do not hear your words as much as they watch and imitate your behavior. Read in front of your child, read to your child, and read with your child. This will make him understand the importance of reading.
Be patient while teaching your child
The era in which we live now is the era of screens and phones, so directing the child to comics, books and stories instead of the phone or tablet will require significant effort, and you have to be patient while getting your child used to reading and give him praise and encouragement when he adheres to the habit of reading.
It is also important for reading to be a routine and an activity that family members practice regularly in order for the child to get used to him more easily, and to have books and stories appropriate for his age to encourage him to read.
Of course, there are many habits that we must teach our children, but if the child gets used to the habit of reading, then that habit alone will teach him many things and will open wide horizons for him and put him on the beginning of the path to making a person who is aware, educated, and active in his society and the world and building a better human being able to face life's challenges.