Have you ever fought dragons on the top of a snow-covered mountain? Danced with flamingos? Shared high tea with a prince? Have you had to choose between entering the depths of a mystery cave or heading towards white rapids to escape the wild cowboys who are intent on your capture?
No, we haven’t either. Well, maybe we have.
Being inside the pages of a book is a magical and exhilarating place to be. Books can take us from our own lives and plant us into other people’s shoes and into other countries and worlds. They let us learn, escape, have fun, explore, and consider so many concepts and ideas we may not have without them. And the wondrous thing is, we can experience this at any time in our life.
Introducing children to books and fostering a love of reading can have countless benefits. Our speech therapy for kids team are book fanatics and are passionate about helping others become excited by books too. Find out why books are so great for kids, how to help them enjoy books, and what to do if reading is difficult for your child.
What Are The Benefits Of Reading Books?
Children love to be stimulated. Introducing their minds and bodies to new things helps them to learn about themselves and their environment and continue to develop and grow as best as possible. Books are a brilliant way to place the world into their small hands.
Some of the benefits of reading may surprise you, others you may remember from when you were a child, and many you may know oh so well because you still pick up a book as often as you can.
Literacy
Perhaps an obvious but far from inconsequential benefit of books is their ability to develop literacy and language skills. This involves areas such as phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and retention.
Cognitive Development
The facts and creations on a page can teach children so much about the world. Books can encourage kids’ creativity and language development, and promote their memory, decision making, and problem-solving skills. They can also assist their ability to process thoughts, external concepts, and directions and can improve their discipline and concentration.
Fine Motor Skills
It’s easy to overlook the importance but understanding how to read a physical book can help children to learn vital skills that extend to many aspects of their lives. The seemingly simple act of turning the pages involves elements that use and promote fine motors skills, which are important in countless actions, such as buttoning shirts and using knives and forks.
Building Relationships
The acts of learning to read and sharing books can be important parts of developing and strengthening bonds with family members, teachers, students, and friends. This can extend to aspects such as building support networks, considering and understanding their own and other people’s emotions and feelings, and enjoying and learning from other’s discoveries, ideas and thoughts.
How To Read Books With Your Child
Many people assume learning to read is as natural as learning to talk. However, human brains are pre-wired for language development but are not so when it comes to reading. In fact, reading is a relatively recent part of human history. It is a cultural addition to our abilities and is not an innate one like sharing language is. To this end, reading must be taught, whereas language can develop without formal instruction.
Some tips you can take on board when reading to your child include:
- Give your child your attention while you read together. Be prepared to make it fun, to answer their questions, and to not be distracted by external factors where possible.
- Involve your child. Ask them questions, let them choose the book and flip the pages, and take turns to read.
- Stop or change the situation if your child is losing interest.
- If you have children of various ages and developmental stages, you can read together to make it a multifaceted learning and bonding experience.
- Offer books that suit your child’s abilities and interests.
What If My Child Has Difficulty Reading Books?
Learning to read isn’t a simple task and issues such as literacy disorders and phonological dyslexia can make it even more difficult. These may present in a variety of ways such as:
- Missing words as they read.
- Incorrectly pronouncing words.
- Struggling to distinguish similar sounding sounds.
- Refusing to read.
- Not comprehending or remembering what they have read.
Reading difficulties are generally classed as neurodevelopmental issues. They can exist without any other learning or intellectual difficulties and may be due to a variety of reasons. Children tend not to grow out of reading difficulties and generally need specific support and strategies to help them.
Chatterbox Speech Therapy Can Help Your Child
Helping your child learn to read is a beautiful gift you can give them. If your child is struggling to any degree, our speech therapy team can support you and your child. It is understood that the earlier a child receives speech therapy intervention, the better the long-term outcomes are. Contact us to find out how we can assist and to set up a consultation with one of our friendly and experienced speech therapists Penrith.