Reading to Young Children Helps Develop Their Brains

Literacy Week is January 24th – 28th at Kids’ R Kids Avalon Park. During this week, we highlight great books and place a special focus on encouraging a love of reading. Few activities are more important for young children’s brain development than reading.

Convincing your toddler or preschooler to sit still as you read aloud to them can be challenging. While some kids develop a love of reading early, other children have a hard time settling down to listen to a book. However, making an effort to read to your little ones—even when it’s tough—has long-term benefits for their social, emotional, and academic success later in life.

Benefits of Reading to Young Children

These are the top 5 benefits of reading to your toddler and preschooler.

1. Improving Children’s Language Skills

Following your hand and listening to your voice as you point out words, shapes, and colors play a key role in developing kids’ language skills at an early age. It helps the brain make the connection between words and objects. As they get older and the books you read become more complex, you expand their vocabulary. Reading times helps them learn to express ideas and identify their emotions. These foundational language skills are the building blocks of all communication and literacy.

2. Reading Supports Children’s Cognitive Development

Children’s brains aren’t fully developed when they enter the world. Instead, their minds develop throughout childhood and adolescence, gaining valuable problem-solving and reasoning skills. The first five years of a child’s life are essential to their cognitive development. According to pediatrician Ruth Letizia, MD, “Eighty-five to ninety percent of a child’s brain develops by age five.” Reading aloud to children plays a pivotal role during these years. It helps your child develop language processing skills, the capacity to store and process information, and many more crucial developmental skills.

3. Reading Expands Children’s Imaginations & Creativity

Children naturally have big imaginations and the capacity to be incredibly creative. Reading stimulates their imagination and creativity in new ways introducing them to new colors, textures, places, and ideas. In addition, researchers have discovered that reading also increases empathy and the ability to see through others’ eyes. These fundamental imaginative and creative skills help children develop into curious, empathetic adults who can dream big.

4. Reading Prepares Children to Thrive in School

The simple practice of reading to your child daily prepares them to thrive in school. According to pediatrician Cindy Osman, MD, “There’s solid research that shows that just that intervention of handing a family a book, giving them a couple of age-appropriate pieces of advice about how to read with their kid, and just encouraging reading” helps kids do better in school. Reading equips children for academic success by developing their literacy skills, teaching self-discipline, and increasing their attention span and memory retention.

5. Reading Together Strengthens Your Bond

Snuggling up with your child to read a book also creates precious memories and strengthens your bond. Our children crave our undivided attention more than ever in our busy world filled with distractions. Establishing the habit of reading together creates a time every day for you to connect and strengthen your bond. It also allows you to find shared interests and develop an open line of communication that can carry through childhood and adolescence.

Ask your student’s teacher at Kids ‘ R Kids Avalon Park for age-appropriate book recommendations if you’d like them! We love to help parents foster a love of reading at home.

Are you looking for a childcare provider in the Orlando, Florida, area for your toddler or preschooler? Contact us at 407-306-9035 or online to schedule a tour! Early registration for 2022 VPK is now open!