Do You Read to Your Children?

            Science says that we can help our children to be smarter and kinder by reading to them every day. Smarter and kinder children strengthen families, and strong families strengthen communities and nations.


            Kelly at Happy You Happy Family claims that reading to children is a “keystone habit,” meaning a habit that can influence numerous areas of life. She says that reading to children for as little of 10-15 minutes per day will bring great results. Here is her list of reasons why parents should read to children.

·         Your child will hear a wider variety of words…. [T]he child who has the largest vocabulary will understand the most, while the child with the smallest vocabulary will grasp the least.

·         You grow your child’s brain, literally. The more you read to your child, the more the neurons in her brain will grow and connect together.

·         You put her on the path to be a lifelong reader. … single most important activity … is reading aloud to children.

·         Your child’s behavior will improve. When you read aloud, you increase your child’s ability to pay attention and concentrate… can even decrease aggressive tendencies in the child.

·         You build a stronger bond with your child. Kids love when you read aloud to them because of the physical closeness and emotional bonding it offers….

·         You increase your child’s capacity for empathy. When you read fiction to your child, her brain is “literally living vicariously through the characters at a neurobiological level.”

            Kelly has some good reasons why we should read to children. What is your excuse for not reading to your children? Since reading to children helps them to be better people, this simple habit can strengthen families, communities, and nations.