Why is reading to our little ones so important, and do we really need to start when they are babies?

You decide!  Following are some of benefits of why we should promote reading.  I’m going to focus on these benefits over the next few weeks; this will be an introduction as to why “booking time with our kids” is so valuable.

READING:

• Increases brain development; strengthens the brain
• Stimulates language development
• Stimulates cognitive reasoning
• Builds vocabulary
• Aids Sleep
• Aids mental health
• Alleviates stress, anxiety and depression
• Encourages success in school and academics
• Increases empathy
• Increases knowledge of the world around us
• Prevents cognitive decline as we age
• Can even help us live longer!

According to Healthline.com, reading actually CHANGES YOUR BRAIN:  “A growing body of research indicates that reading literally changes your mind. Using MRI scans, researchers have confirmed (Trusted Source) that reading involves a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. As your reading ability matures, those networks also get stronger and more sophisticated.”

In one study (Trusted Source) conducted in 2013, researchers used functional MRI scans to measure the effect of reading a novel on the brain. Study participants read the novel “Pompeii” over a period of 9 days. As tension built in the story, more and more areas of the brain lit up with activity.

Brain scans showed that throughout the reading period and for days afterward, brain connectivity increased, especially in the somatosensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds to physical sensations like movement and pain.”

Wow.  Brain connectivity increases. That alone should convince us.

I just love this quote by William Styron:  “A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading” (Conversations with William Styron).

Don’t we want our kids to experience this?  And, don’t we want them to imagine/create these experiences within their own minds, and not just watch as observers from a screen?  Their imaginations will be challenged and will blossom as they cognitively create the images that match the words that they are reading. 

Is it important to start this with our babies?  One of the benefits of reading even with infants is that reading with young children can build and establish “warm and happy associations with books, increasing the likelihood that kids will find reading enjoyable in the future (Healthline.com).”  If reading is an established habit from the start, they are more likely to find it enjoyable and continue reading as a part of their normal routines as they grow.  Even an infant’s brain is stimulated as words and pictures are associated; connections will be made from the start.  Bonding occurs too; this can be such precious time together. Honestly, there is no downside.

I’m guilty of replacing what used to be reading time with “watching” time. It’s just easy and relaxing.  But, as parents and grandparents, it’s important that we are intentional with establishing reading time with our little ones.  Healthline.com  suggests that we “bypass the binge-watching from time to time.  Binge watching should be an occasional treat rather than our main source of intellectual stimulation.  They state that research shows that prolonged TV viewing, especially for children, may change the brain in unhealthy ways.”  We certainly don’t want that for our kids- and we want to model right practices too (feeling guilty here!).

If you’re feeling the same, please join me over the next few weeks as we explore ways that reading can HELP US HELP OUR KIDS.   Not only will we be establishing good practices that will benefit our kids, we will also be providing benefits to our own (aging) minds.  Win, win! 

THANK YOU for joining me! Please subscribe and share for ideas of how we can BOOK TIME WITH OUR KIDS!”