Everybody is very busy in today’s world. However, taking 20 critical minutes each day to read to you child is very important for several reasons.
Reading can help you bond with your child as well as improve their language and develop early literacy skills. It can help with their listening skills and prepare them for kindergarten. Visit the Reading Foundation for more information about research associated with reading to your child. This website can also serve as an excellent resource for both a parent, caregiver and an educator. There are other great websites out there that can also describe more specifically the benefits of reading to your child.
I was determined to pass on the love of reading to my children. Any chance I would get, I would read to my daughter and son when they were first born. Both of my children fell in love with books and view them as very valuable toys. I always would tell my children that books are your friends and treasures. I really do believe that. Reading books during mealtime and at bedtime has become a wonderful, special routine for my children and I. When we read books, we learn, bond and create memories that we will all treasure throughout our lives. There are books to this day that remind me of my childhood. Certain books are timeless (which I mention in my favorite books during mealtime). As much as I love technology, I really do believe a book in your hand that you can feel, experience, and turn the pages is priceless.
Read during mealtime and there is your twenty minutes!