Wellness Wed on Empty Streets: Benefits of Reading to a Child

As a child I can vaguely remember my parents sitting at my bedside reading short stories for me every single day. They got this book filled with magical stories for every single day of the year. I would ask them to read for me and when they were done I would have questions that would seemingly never end till they say it was time for me to go to bed. My parents probably didn't know what I am about to share with you now about what that did for me and how I turned out as an adult, but I guess I was lucky cause they did it for me out of love. I am sure that many of you may have the same story that I have had growing up and we must admit there are times when we even tell those stories to the little people as they go to sleep.

Cool thing about this practice is that not only are we able to bond with our kids, we are actually helping them, as our parents did in the past, build a solid foundation with regards to our mental and emotional well being.

Here are some of the other things that I have found out through several sources as to the benefits of reading to kids:
* Reading enables your kid to bond with you giving your child a sense of intimacy and well-being.
* The intimacy of reading to your kid is such a pleasurable experience for him that he will have a positive attitude towards reading as he grows up.
* Reading calms your child, especially when he is restless.
* It can promote increased communication between you and your child.
* Children who are exposed to language by hearing words that are read to him and in a conversation tend to do very well in school.
* Reading trains them to have a longer attention span, which is an important skill for your kid to have.
* It builds listening skills and imagination.
* The child learns more about colors, shapes, numbers, and letters, while your older children discovers an expanding chain of knowledge. This goes from simple toy cars, to trucks, to machinery, and to outer space explorations.
* Books can teach your child about relationships, situations, personalities, ethics, and differentiate good and from what is bad. Fantasy books provide material for his imagination and free play. Fairy tales fascinate your kid, and help him distinguish between what is real and what is not.

To add to that here is a Youtube video documentary as to this same topic:

Now, before you go off to your child to read him that overly read story that he or she has so over zealously requested to hear, think about how that child is going to grow to be a person that is going to have a solid footing as he or she takes that very first step of independence as an individual. Am sure you shall be one proud parent ;)