“Reading to your child daily” is the kale of parenting routines; intellectually, emotionally, and socially, it’s a power food for your child’s brain.

Studies have even shown that parents who read to their children as young as eight months old, later have a larger vocabulary than children who are not read to by the time both groups of subjects reached the age of 3. Reading aloud accelerates language development and exercises memory and curiosity. What more could a mom ask for?

“I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me, baby.”

In The Happiest Toddler on the Block, author and pediatrician Harvey Karp explains that many tantrums and frustrations occur when the child doesn’t feel they are correctly expressing themselves to their desired level. They feel they are not being heard. But a child who is read to at least several times a week has been exposed to significantly more words than a child who is not. They now have a richer “word bank” to grab from to accurately communicate their thoughts and feelings.

When was the last time you used the word hippopotamus in conversation? How about the word continent? Locomotion? Farewell? Drifted? These are all words that can be found in just a few of my child’s basic reading level books at IDEA Public Schools. More communication equal less frustration for both mom and child.

“To infinity and beyond.”

Simple picture books like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom introduces numbers to a toddler before they even take math in an official school setting. And a book on astronauts, for example, can describe parts of a spacecraft, putting them that much more ahead of their peers in science.

IDEA Academy’s designated DEAR period–standing for Drop Everything and Read–is 30 minutes of the day reserved for a student to read a pre-approved, accelerated reading book of their choice, known as the AR Zone, followed by a digital comprehension test. This nurtures a student’s unique interests that may eventually turn into a passion, and with further study, a specialty.

“Because every little thing is gonna be alright.”

The art of storytelling isn’t just fuel for your imagination and creativity, it also teaches them life lessons. My son often reminds me to “don’t worry about a thing because every little thing is gonna be alright,” quoting his favorite book based on the famous Bob Marley optimists’ anthem. Of course, life isn’t always that simple, but my son has learned, and loves to remind me, that one thing you can control about a problem is how you choose to react to it. Chances are, if your family is going through a specific situation, there’s likely a book written to help children cope with the subject.

Prioritize Reading

Forcing yourself to prioritize bedtime reading eventually leaves you with little choice other than to kick your feet up, slow down, and live in the moment.  It also helps both the parent and child improve their attention span and concentration. At IDEA, the kindergarden teachers send the students home with a daily reading log to be filled out every night, which includes notating the date, name of the book read to the student that evening, for how long were they read to (the educators at IDEA recommend no less than 20 minutes a day), and who read to them. This maintains credibility and aids in both short-term and long-term educational development.

More importantly, it’s one of the best possible opportunities for quality family time that is so notoriously fleeting. So go ahead and take in the way his eyes crinkle as he laughs uncontrollably when you read “spanking new dollar” aloud. Tattoo the memory of her chubby little hand covering her mouth as she gasps in relief when the Wild Things decide to not eat Max. Because whether you are a single mom juggling several gigs to make ends meet or a stay at home mom with a mile-long list of errands and chores, often bedtime is also the first time that day when both mom and child have been given the chance to do nothing but focus on each other and the bond that reading can help strengthen.

I would be here typing all day if I were to continue to list all the benefits of reading aloud creates. How does your family make reading a priority?

Sponsored By: IDEA Public Schools