Logan’s favorite time of day is right before he goes to sleep! For twenty minutes every night he has me all to himself. No other interruptions, it’s storytime. We cuddle up in bed just the two of us and read story after story. He has most of them memorized by now, but he’d always rather have me read them to him. It’s our special little Mommy-Baby time. It’s something we both look forward to every night and it has brought us closer together as a family.
Reading to your children from a young age has so many benefits! As your child grows he’s constantly on the move, running, jumping, playing, and curiously learning about his environment. Sitting down and reading a book together helps both of you slow down and enjoy the cuddle time you enjoyed when he was a baby. When you read to your children it helps them with their language and speech development. They gain a greater vocabulary and learn how to pronounce new words. It also helps them gain a positive attitude toward reading, which is important as they are starting school. It also helps their listening skills and helps them gain a greater attention span. Their ability to focus grows more and more as you spend time reading together. No wonder kids whose parents read to them tend to do better in school!
Reading makes your kids more aware of the world around them. They learn better communication skills as they relate to the characters in the books and find healthy ways to express themselves in their own social situations. What a valuable tool, from simply reading stories together.
Children learn by example. If they see Mom or Dad reading a book, they are much more likely to go pick one up themselves. Show them that reading is important to you and it will be more important to them. It will help them develop a love of reading from an early age. The benefits are endless! Slow down and take a few minutes to spend just the two of you cuddled on the couch with a story. Everybody needs a little Mommy-Baby time.