Guest Blog from In The Book
In The Book kindly donated some of their un-personalised selection to Give a Book, which at our March store day we sent off to an SEN specialist school in Barking as prizes for a read-a-thon project, and to an SHS book club at a school in Islington. The books are as beautiful as they are bold, and the perfect gift for a book lover. The packaging and unveiling of the book from its case adds a bit of magic and are a great fit for our children’s projects, as books and the pleasure of reading are few and far between in the areas we work in. Below we hear about In The Book’s ethos and advocacy of reading together.
The Parent-Child Bond Established Through Reading
In The Book is committed to promoting the benefits of reading to children, and they’ve visualised some fascinating research on this topic to highlight just how great reading can be.
The benefits of reading to children are enormous, from increased lifetime earnings to a boosted understanding of cultures and enhanced concentration and discipline.
One of the key benefits of reading to children, and what In The Book are going to discuss further, is the opportunity to nurture the parent-child bond. Children grow up so fast, and are always on the go. Sitting down to read a book each evening will not only provide a routine and stability, but it’ll tighten your bond further. By repeating this activity and encouraging routine and stability, you’re setting your child up for success, as they learn best through gentle repetition. Through this, you’re creating a lovely daily activity between you and your child, and making it fun, rather than a chore.
Create a Safe Environment
Creating a nurturing environment for your child will ultimately bring you closer together with your child, and something you can both look forward to – whether than be at bedtime or another set time in the day.
When you decide to start reading to your child is really important, as a baby’s brain starts to develop the moment they are born – it’s never too early!
Whilst reading to your child, getting comfortable is a must. This is an important step, whilst it seems obvious, as it will encourage your child to feel safe and increase their confidence if they’re used to their surroundings. By creating safe space for your child to learn to read in, they will associate that area of your home as a place to read, and become more confident in attempting to learn or read new words. Your child learning new words and/or gaining confidence in your designated area will improve your parent-child bond as they can get snuggled up to you whilst taking part in their new favourite activity.
Ask Your Child Questions
Asking your child questions as you read books will not only enrich their learning, but it’ll help develop their comprehension and thinking skills. Asking simple questions like “what do you think this book will be about?” and “what do you think is going to happen next?” will make your child think and engage with the story, rather than just looking at the pictures for example. The text and pictures will help your child guess what is happening in the book, especially if they can’t yet read.
By simply reading to your child, you’ll further develop the parent-child bond you already have with your little one, and create a new activity you can both look forward to.