From board books for babies to in-depth stories for older pre-schoolers, the value of reading to young children cannot be overstated. Reading is an excellent and important way to spend some time with children, with many benefits to both parents and children alike.

While the days can be busy at Scribbles childcare centres in Mt Wellington, Onehunga and Mt Roskill, we always make sure to spend part of each day reading. Here’s just a few of the many reasons why reading to young children is so valuable.

A Quiet Moment

Preschool children are busy little people! They crawl, walk and run around constantly, exploring their surroundings and climbing the furniture, making mess and a lot of noise in the process. Be it at home or at childcare, story time is a quiet and peaceful moment where even the busiest kids sit still, captivated by a story. Our day care teachers love seeing the grounding effect that books can have on a wound-up child.

Brain Development

Reading to kids activates certain parts of the brain, building a foundation for language, cognition and visual imagery. From this early experience of literature, children’s brains are growing, neurons are connecting and pathways are strengthening. The teachers at Scribbles childcare love the idea that by reading books, we are literally building our children’s brains!

Building Vocabulary

Research suggests that young children who have been read to frequently are exposed to a million more words than those who haven’t, giving them a head start in their language skills once they start school. Books for kids are specifically written to expose them to verbs, nouns and adjectives that you probably aren’t using in your everyday life, which is why reading to preschool kids is so important to build up their vocabulary.

Socialisation

Whether they are reading with a parent or sibling, being read to at daycare individually or with a group of kids, early experiences of reading are shared. This social interaction in a calm and safe setting models healthy interpersonal skills, encourages communication and demonstrates the value of sharing time with others.

Imagination and Creativity

Stories introduce us to new places, people and ideas. Start reading to your children early and you will encourage the creativity and imagination so intrinsic to story-telling. This is why the book shelves at Scribbles’ three Auckland day care centres are incredibly varied – the more variety in their books, the more we inspire their imagination.

At Scribbles’ childcare centres in Mt Wellington, Onehunga or Mt Roskill, we love fostering a love of reading with our youngsters!