From previous blog we have learned the importance of having a sound moral compass, which can help you strike the right balance in your life between reason and emotion, practicality and idealism as well as your needs and those of others.
Few days ago, TTI came across the word "there is no app to replace your lap" and it made us think very deeply about its powerful meaning thus this blog is dedicated to emphasise the importance of child & parent bond in this hectic and turbulent environment we live in. As the title may be "obvious" to some, do we really know how powerful reading to children can be?
It goes without saying that reading to your child on a regular basis can help you forge a stronger relationship with them and provides a great opportunity to set up a regular, shared event where you can look forward to spending time together. Having time to read with children isn’t just about the activity of reading. It’s about having consistent, focused time together, without other distractions and or demands. Your child will trust and expect that you will be there for them and one of the most important things you can do to positively influence their development is spend time with them. The importance of trust to small children cannot be overstated.
Reading a favorite book to your children not only helps you bond with them, but also gives your children a sense of intimacy and well-being. This feeling of intimacy helps your child feel close to you, and the feelings of love and attention encourage positive growth and development.
At a broader, more scientific level, it’s the parent-child relationship, that sets a positive life course. If you are able to read aloud with your child at a predictable, scheduled time that fits with the daily routines of home and school, you’ll be able to provide something constant that they can expect and likely even look forward to. And down the road, reading together can be used to discuss real-life experiences and issues. A children’s book can provide springboards to meaningful discussions about many different topics which can further develop a child’s critical thinking skills. At its core, literature is one of the best ways to help kids understand something without necessarily having to experience it for themselves.
Reading to your child helps to expose them to all types of subjects and concepts, building our children’s understanding of humanity and the world around them. It’s undeniable that a child’s reading skills are important to their success in school, work, and life in general.
Aside from language and literacy, reading is also an important tool for helping children develop empathy. As kids read books about people whose lives are different from their own (and especially stories told from the perspectives of those people), they gain an appreciation for other people’s feelings, as well as other cultures, lifestyles, and perspectives.
Books can also help kids learn how to handle their own feelings in healthy ways. Seeing characters in books experience big emotions like anger or sadness lets kids know that these feelings are normal — and gives them a chance to talk about their own difficult feelings, too.
Parents can use reading time as an opportunity to foster kids’ emotional awareness and build their toolkits for handling feelings: “Have you ever felt as angry as the girl in this book? What would you do if you did?”
When young children’s language capacities are developing, being exposed to words and language at the same time as those meaningful sensory experiences makes that exposure even more valuable. The physical contact that you get while you’re reading actually helps to engage neurones in the brain, which make kids more receptive to the language and the cognitive stimulation.
With babies specifically, although they may not be able to understand what you’re saying when you read to them, reading aloud provides a level of invaluable nurturing and reassurance. Very young babies love to hear familiar voices, and reading is the perfect outlet to create this connection.
It has astonishing benefits for children:
Comfort and Reassurance
Confidence and Security
Relaxation, Happiness and Fun
Giving a child time and full attention when reading them a story tells them they matter. It builds self-esteem, vocabulary, feeds imagination and even improves their sleeping patterns.
“Hearing a book read over Alexa or tablet just isn’t going to give kids the same holistic benefit.”
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