I’m blessed to be in Wyoming with Emma and Caden (our 12 and 8 year old) and 6 of my nieces and nephews. My younger sister Kathi and her husband have out-of-town obligations this coming week. I’m filling in during their absence after having learned their routines and the layout of Jackson last week.
Today I cooked 3 meals for myself and 8 children, got everyone to church on time, negotiated nap time for a 2 and 4 year old, planned our meals and purchased groceries for the week, supervised their family’s weekly cleaning day, got 2 loads of laundry done, bathed the youngest two and had all 8 tucked into bed on time.
Quite honestly, I’m pooped. I was ready to sit down and put my feet up 3 hours ago. I could have easily justified eliminating tonight’s bedtime stories with the youngest 2 but I powered through because Read Alouds Really Do Matter.
My nieces have many of their books memorized and “read” several of the pages with me. In fact, Grace (it won’t surprise you that she’s 2) corrected my meter for We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Apparently, my sister and I have a different rhythm for the book’s refrain.
Carli and Grace are clearly reaping the many benefits of being read to. Reading aloud to children:
- Exposes children to rich, sophisticated language, structure, and vocabulary
- Increases a child’s attention span, listening skills, and working memory
- Cultivates a child’s creativity and imagination
- Fosters a love of reading and learning
- Introduces children to people, places, things, and events around the world and throughout history
- Nurtures the emotional bond between parents and children
I love that Kathi has several of the same board books for her children that I had when my children were little. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (Rosen and Oxenbury) and Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown) brought back a flood of memories. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle), Blue Hat, Green Hat (Sandra Boynton), Sheep in a Jeep (Nancy Shaw), and Mo Willems’ Pigeon and Gerald and Piggie books were also some of our favorites.
Research indicates that the benefits of reading aloud to children continue into their pre-teen years (as a child’s reading level doesn’t catch up to his listening level until eighth grade). My own children are no longer toddlers and our read alouds have certainly changed, but reading aloud is still a part of our daily routine. Not only have we read (or listened to) several books aloud for pleasure this year (Charlotte’s Web, Matilda, The Trumpet of the Swan, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Peter Pan) but we’ve read increasingly for academic study reading no less than 8 books aloud (each) for the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and marine biology.
I suspect (as the week goes on and fatigue sets in) there will be evenings when I might not want to read a pile of books to my nieces. No doubt about it – parenting well requires sacrificial love and diligence. But keep your eye on the prize! Ultimately, reading aloud is an investment with guaranteed dividends. Your commitment to reading aloud with your children every day will pay off one-hundred fold in the long run.
What are your family’s favorite read alouds for pre-school and school aged children? Join the conversation by replying at the top of this post.
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For more from Marea, check out Me and Thee Studios’ faith based leveled readers for 1st-2nd graders at http://www.meandtheestudios.com/early-reader-collection.html.