We hear a lot about the importance of reading for children;
Why is reading to children important?
How do we choose the stories we read to them, and when, where, and how do we read them to them?
The echo of the first words that we read and heard at the beginning of our lives leaves us with the first book that has a deep impact on our consciousness, which shapes our personality even if we are not aware of it.
According to Raising Children, sharing stories, talking and singing every day helps your child develop in a number of ways.
Recognize sounds, words and language and develop early reading and writing skills.
Learn the value of books and stories.
It stimulates the child's imagination and stimulates his curiosity.
It helps in developing the child's brain and its ability to focus, social skills and communication skills.
The child learns the difference between "real" and "imaginary".
It helps the child to understand new events or different feelings, and the strong emotions that come with them.
Learn about the world, its own culture and other cultures.
It supports the bonds between you and your child, which enhances emotional intelligence.
Reading sparks a child's imagination and stimulates his curiosity (Pixabay)
When do you read stories with your child?
There is no specific time for reading, some prefer to make it a daily routine in the evening before bed.
But this is not a requirement, as you can read to your child or tell stories or songs at any time such as bedtime, bath time, on the train, on the bus, in the car, in the park, in the stroller, in the crib, and when you are in the doctor's waiting room.
How do you read to your child?
Reading leaves a good effect on your child's mind and imagination, and in order to reach the best result and achieve a desirable effect for reading, the most effective methods can be followed when reading, according to Booktrust, which are:
Ask your child to choose what he wants to read, he will feel more interested in the story if he chooses it himself, and you don't have to worry about choosing the same story more than once.
Sitting close to each other, you can encourage your child to hold the book by himself and turn the pages as well.
Take a look at the pictures Not only do you have to read the words on the page, your child may have fun guessing what will happen next, suggest describing the pictures, which helps the child memorize the sequence of events.
Use simple and easy phrases for younger children, focusing on a specific situation in the story, and do not go over the events quickly, so that the child can form a mental picture of the story that remains stuck in his imagination.
Ask questions and talk about the book. Picture books can be a great way to talk about your child's fears and anxieties, or to help him deal with his feelings, and ask him what he expects in the rest of the story to nurture his imagination and perceptions.
Give him space to speak, ask how he feels about situations in the story, and clarify some incomprehensible words.
You can represent situations in the story, and use hand movements or puppets to represent some scenes, and you can also change your voice to imitate story characters such as animals, for example, this helps to attract your child's attention and run his imagination.
Because the monotonous voice may make the child bored and distract from the story.
Help the child make connections between the events in the story and their private life (Shutterstock)
Post reading
The role of the mother does not end with the end of the story, as the stories are thresholds for the imagination, and to keep that imagination alive and active, it is necessary to follow up after reading, according to Raisesmartkid.
Give the child time to think about the story or book. Ask him to describe his favorite part and the reasons for his preference.
Review components of the story, such as the setting, the main character's problem, and how to solve the problem.
Ask questions to encourage the child to think about why the events happened the way they did, and why do people in the story behave in a certain way?
Will the children behave the same way or differently?
Why?
Help the child to make connections between the events in the story and his private life, and what will he do if he is exposed to a similar situation?
Ask the older child to read the story to you, and the young child to tell it as he understood it and as he imagined it, and always interact with them.