Reading is vital to helping a child’s brain grow and develop. As parents, you can help advance your child’s reading abilities by reading to them regularly.
You can also encourage them to read on their own in their spare time. Stepparents can bond with their stepchildren by reading the child’s favorite book to them or teaching them reading lessons.
The current U.S. literacy rates have remained the same over the past 10 years, and it’s up to parents and educators to make a difference. Here are some of the significant ways reading can help lead your child into a successful future.
Strong Reading Skills Lead to Better Jobs
Reading to your children will lay the foundation for a wealth of opportunities for them in the future.
Adults with proficient reading skills are more likely to earn higher incomes. Additionally, they have more employment opportunities.
The same study found that 60% of employees with proficient literacy have jobs in management, business, financial or professional sectors. With this in mind, it’s valuable for your children to have strong reading abilities.
Furthermore, this will help them build a successful adult career. There are several different ways to help your child learn to read.
Depending on their age, parents should teach their children to read at the appropriate learning level. Try asking them how they feel about the characters in the book you’re reading to them.
You can also help them understand the moral behind the story better. During their reading lessons, they’ll develop better concentration, vocabulary and language skills.
Reading can also help get your kids away from their screens and develop a stronger bond with you. Try to read with your child daily to keep them interested and focused on the learning process.
A family trip to your local library can also be a great way for kids to become interested in reading. It’s also an excellent way to learn more about their favorite book series or author.
Reading Helps Make Kids Smarter
As studies have shown over the years, reading can help make your child smarter and more focused. Researchers discovered a child’s IQ can go up by six points if they have proficient reading abilities.
Reading can also make your child have more empathy, as they become empathetic to their favorite characters. Children who spend a lot of time in front of the television are often exposed to negative influences.
But reading can help your child develop a more realistic view of the world. It will also keep them from becoming addicted to their screens.
Libraries can be a sanctuary for kids to read a variety of books and learn about the world. Many assume with the rise of entertainment media that libraries are a dying institution.
However, this is a common myth, as libraries are still thriving across the country.
As schools struggle with low reading scores, some wonder if reading is a dying art. However, parents and educators can’t let reading become extinct.
Reading to your child will help them have less screen time. It will also help them become invested in a book’s story.
Teach your child how to read by going over words and pictures in the stories you read to them. In the end, they’ll be able to read and continue to read proficiently into adulthood.
Getting your child to a comfortable reading level may take some time, but it will be worth it eventually. With great reading abilities, your child will be able to have a successful future and launch a rewarding career.
Supporting your local library and encouraging your child to read will elevate their reading abilities to higher levels. Additionally, it will give them the skills to take on any reading task in the future.
Hey Frankie, I enjoyed your article on reading to children. My husband and I homeschool and reading is a major activity that has awesome future rewards.
Thank you Tamiko for your feedback. Frankie will be happy to hear about your emphasis on reading.
Gerardo