Reading to kids is more than fun

It makes sense that reading to children would help them learn to read themselves. While that is true, the benefits of reading to children go far beyond literacy.

Whether it is a classic novel or fairy tale before bed, reading aloud to children can help them build language skills. It exposes them to new words and ways of using language.

According to the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), story time is important for brain development, even for babies who do not talk yet. Research shows that babies’ brains prepare to speak months before they say their first words. To complete this important brain preparation, children need to hear language.

Books are a great opportunity for back-and-forth interactions. Interactive reading allows adults to ask children questions, explain new vocabulary, and relate the story to a child’s life. This helps young children develop important preliteracy skills, like story understanding and critical thinking.

HHS offers adults the following tips to engage children in reading:

• Make reading part of your daily routine.
• Use the pictures in a book to tell your own story or encourage children to be the storyteller.
• Make funny sounds or sing songs that go along with the story. Reach Out & Read is a nationwide program that emphasizes the importance of reading and language in early childhood development. The program provides a new book to children (infants to age 5) during each well-child visit.

Horizon Health is a local Reach Out & Read site. Its primary care providers complete national training about the program’s mission, its model, best practices, book choices, and evidence-based results.