Reading with Children

One of the best things a parent can do for her child is read together.

When my first baby was about six months old, we started reading. We sat on the sofa, with my baby on my lap. We looked at magazines and picture books. I read the pictures to her, pointing to objects, and naming them. Even before she was old enough to talk, she learned vocabulary words.

We both loved our Reading Time. It became a lifelong habit that we continued throughout her childhood. When her little brother was born, he joined us, sitting on the other side of my lap.

My children learned vocabulary. They learned reading skills. And they learned to connect reading with love.

As the children became toddlers, we started going to the library. They loved choosing their own books for our Reading Time. They took turns selecting the books for me to read to them. Sometimes they selected the same books, over and over. That was fine with me. I never said a word about it, except perhaps words such as, “I like this book, too.”

As we cuddled, and I read aloud, I would occasionally stop to have a conversation. I’d answer or ask questions about the story, or the pictures. We’d talk about the books. These natural interactions contributed to the development of skills in critical thinking, discernment, and so much more.

I always read the copyright page, so that the children would understand the purpose and meaning of copyright. I pointed out the publisher information. If available, we read the biography of the author and illustrator.

Our Reading Time was special, and inviolate. During reading, we did not do any other activities. We did not eat. I did not turn on TV, or play background noise, both of which can cause language development problems in learning to talk, and thus in learning to read.

Our Reading Time was before the introduction of the cell phone, smart phone, and so forth. Fortunately, we were not interrupted by high technology. Hopefully, parents today hide their devices during Reading Time with their children.

If one parent washes the dinner dishes, while the other parent reads to the kids, the dish washer is contributing equally to Reading Time.

Reading Time is sacred time. It is the time when a parent instills in her children a love of reading and a love of learning, which can last for a child’s whole life. This is a priceless gift to give to children.