Thank you, Priddy Books, for sponsoring this post, Why We Read with Our Children Every Day . I was selected for this opportunity by Priddy Books with collaboration of Moms Meet; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Reading with our kids... It has been something that has been incorporated into our night time routine since Ollie was six months old. It calms us, give us a time to connect with Ollie and Lillie before our day is done, and Dusty has even said that it is his favorite time of day. And yet, as a previous school teacher it pains me to know that this is not happening for all children at home.
It was shocking for me to learned that The Guardian reports out of 1,596 parents of 0-13-year-olds, only 51% read to their preschool child every day. That's barely half, and these numbers just keep decreasing. Reading books to our babies, toddler, and kids has huge benefits, so when I had a chance to partner with the Priddy Books Early Learning Collection this past month. I knew it was right up our alley. They are truly the perfect place to start when building your child’s library.
Why Reading With Children is Important
1. Improves Reading Skills
First and foremost, exposure to books improves children’s reading skills. Practice makes perfect! As our kids learn new words and sounds, they naturally absorb them and are quicker readers themselves later in life.
2. Boosts Vocabulary and Literacy Skills
Reading increases vocabulary, comprehension and communication skills. In addition sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and expression will improve. It amazes me every day when my kids say a word that is beyond their years. Ollie talking about his "birthday celebration" instead of his "party" is proof to me that reading is aiding in his enhanced vocabulary.
3. Broadens Minds and Develops Empathy
Diverse literature opens children’s minds to the lives of other people, which subsequently, helps children make sense of the world around them. The books we read nightly help facilitate conversation beyond the stories just in the books in front of us. We are able to ask questions and discuss topics that we wouldn't have naturally done otherwise.
4. Develops Imagination
While reading, children create new worlds. This develops their creativity and empathy as they immerse themselves in the lives of the characters. Whether it is Lillie pretending to be a puppy, or Ollie going on an "adventure" to a new land, our kids' imaginations are fueled by the stories they are absorbing at bedtime.
5. Reading is Fun!
When reading with a child, the child can tell if the adult is enjoying themselves. Reinforce the message that reading is an enjoyable activity fuels their lifelong learning skills and helps them be better readers (and leaders) later in life. It is also an amazing parent-child bonding experience to promote emotional and cognitive development.
Why Choose Priddy Books
Priddy Books is a great place to start if you are looking to incorporate more reading in with your young child. They publishes titles for babies, toddlers, and young children, specially designed to spark a child’s creativity and encourage their development, and they provide all the tools parents need to help curious little minds grow.
We have some favorites like, See, Touch, Feel, which will stimulate curiosity through sensory play, and First 100 Numbers, which we love to work on our counting skills with the fun, bright photographs. Lillie's nightly grab is the Alphaprints: Colors, which explore colors with her favorite animals, and Ollie loves to learn with My First Play and Learn Farm, which covers key early learning topics such as colors, matching, and sorting. With 28 reusable play pieces, this adorable book is perfect for hours of play and learning.
These books’ durable board pages are perfect for little hands to play with for hours of learning and reading fun, and perfect for stuffing in diaper bags or strollers to take anywhere. These wonderful books are available for purchase on Amazon, so click here to order yours!
Typical retail price for each book is as follows: First 100 Numbers, $5.99; See, Touch, Feel, $12.99; Alphaprints: Colors, $9.99; Bright Baby: Touch and Feel Baby Animals, $4.95; and My First Play and Learn Farm, $9.99.
