The Hidden Benefits of Reading Aloud Even for Older Kids

There is a famous saying that every person has a chapter they don't read out loud! However, that is not what this article is about: We shall discuss the benefits of reading aloud and why it is essential even for older kids.  As people grow older, they tend to retreat from reading aloud to a more personal and quiet form of reading, and our children are not exceptional.  What we fail to notice is that we miss out crucial benefits of reading out loud. Below we elaborate on the magic behind reading out loud despite your child's age.

We are passionate about reading at Kids on the Yard because we realize that strong reading skills provide an essential building block for learning.   

Reading Aloud Exposes your Child to Rich and Complete Sentences

Reading aloud gives younger children an opportunity to learn more words than they do in regular conversations.  When you are talking to your child, you primarily use verbal shorthand rather than complete sentencing. On the other hand, books use rich and complete sentences.  The language used in books, magazines, and newspapers is also sophisticated and complicated. A child who listens to such language is a step ahead of a child who never hears written words. Such a child also has more understanding, better attention span, and improved comprehension in class.

It Develops their Passion for Reading

When you read bedtime stories to your child, you begin to advocate reading in their young lives. They also begin to develop love and an appetite for reading. A culture of reading is created from an earlier stage, way before your child starts school. The good thing about this culture is that it comes with awareness. A child who listens to their parents or teachers read aloud will want to develop reading habits better. Remember that children will want to ape their parents' actions. It will be hard for your child to desire reading if you have not developed such a culture with them.

Reading Aloud Improves your Child's Cognition

Cognition is a term that refers to the mental process or action of acquiring understanding and knowledge through senses, thought, and experiences. For example, when you frequently read stories to your child from an early age, they become mindful of how some actions lead to desirable or undesirable consequences. They also begin to understand complex terms and try to pronounce them earlier than their peers. Exposing your child to sophisticated language and situations builds their understanding before they encounter such cases in their lives. For example, your child may recognize the dangers of fire from an early age by listening to literature books about fire hazards.

Improves their Memory and Communication

Reading aloud helps your child (young or older) develop both oral and written communication skills while improving their memory.  Reading aloud, especially to oneself, has significant effects on memory and retention since it involves developing auditory and motor skills.  Reading aloud may also affect more actions such as acting out the story, facilitating a deeper understanding of information, and more communication skills (both verbally and nonverbally).  Based on this information, you should read aloud and encourage your child to do the same more often. Reading aloud stores not only memories of narratives but also stores the lessons behind the narratives.  The teaching of the story gets deeper in your child’s mind since they can hear it, visualize it, and eventually live it.

Reading Aloud Helps to Build a Bond with Your Child

Reading aloud to your child helps to forge a strong bond with them. You also get to spend more quality time with them hence facilitating effective development. Your child also develops more trust for you, a virtue that can never be overstated among small children. Reading favorite books to your child also grows more intimacy and love, something that makes them feel closer to you. To younger children, reading provides a high level of reassurance and nurturing. They also enjoy the familiar voices when you are reading. Your child also gets something to share and talk about with others, eventually improving their writing skills. You also expose them to more concepts and subjects hence building their understanding of the world and humanity.

TAKE AWAY:

Nothing warms the heart of young children like an exciting bedtime story. Therefore, the culture of reading aloud should not stop as the children grow older. Instead, it should be maintained to improve their literacy, relationships, and comprehension. Indeed, reading aloud is among the most significant things you can do for and with your child.

Click here to learn more about our reading programs here at Kids on the Yard.

Together we will build not just readers but lifelong learners!