The importance of reading for your child’s development is probably something you have heard of since your child was small. Now they are older and you are still hearing about the importance of reading for their development throughout school. One of two things probably happens when you ask your child to do some reading before bedtime…They either run up the stairs, hop into bed and can’t wait to read a few chapters. Or they huff, puff, roll their eyes and it’s a struggle to get them to read a couple of pages! Growing up I was option 1 and my brother was option 2.
You either love reading or it’s just not your thing. And that’s ok! However, there are so many benefits to reading especially for your child’s literacy development throughout primary school. In this blog post, I am going to take you through the benefits of reading for your child. I’ll also give you some tips and tricks to help your child read more outside the classroom.
Is your child sitting the SEAG Transfer Test?
Speaking of reading, if your child is planning on sitting the SEAG Transfer Test, I have the perfect book just for you parents! You can read it with your morning coffee, waiting for your child to finish that music lesson or sports training or even on a sunny day in the garden! (If that ever happens with our weather!) ‘A Complete Guide on How to Prepare and Empower your Child for the SEAG Transfer Test,’ takes you through the complete transfer test process, from start to finish.
From applying to sit the test, to preparing for Year 8. This book is not a read-once-and-forget-about-it book. I have designed it so that you can keep coming back to it during your child’s transfer test preparation and beyond! You will also get a FREE workbook which includes learning trackers, topic lists and reading lists to help your child to be a happy, confident learner during this transfer test season. So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy now and get reading!
Importance of Reading: What are the benefits of reading for your child?
Reading is an important skill that everyone needs throughout their lives. Yes, fractions, percentages and decimals are important as well. But let’s face it, most people don’t use them in everyday life. However, everyone reads something every single day. Being able to read is a gift that most people take for granted. Whether your child loves to read or finds it a chore, they must be provided with lots of reading experiences both inside the classroom and out. So without further ado, I am going to share with you my top seven benefits of reading for students.
Vocabulary Development
The first of the benefits of reading out loud for your child is improving their vocabulary. Studies have shown that individuals who read regularly and those who, have a broader vocabulary. One of the reasons for this is that readers are exposed to a variety of writing styles, language and words that they wouldn’t normally use on a day-to-day basis. What I recommend is to create a vocabulary list of these words that your child comes across when they are reading. Hopefully, if they come across this word in the future, they will remember what it means.
Word Meanings/Definitions
The importance of reading a book for children is being able to identify word meanings and definitions. This next benefit comes hand in hand with vocabulary development. Chances are your child will come across certain words when they are reading that they have no idea what they mean or how to pronounce them! If this happens, encourage your child to note down these words and look up what they mean. This will allow them to learn new words and their meanings.
I will never forget reading Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ I was sitting in the back of my mum and dad’s car on one of our summer Donegal camping trips and I came across the word ‘enraptured.’ Of course, I had no idea whatsoever what this word meant and it’s not I could just ‘Google’ the word back then. I had to wait until I got home and look it up in the dictionary…remember those days! And even though I probably haven’t used that word in my life since then, I will always remember the meaning of the word because I looked it up myself. Expanding your child’s vocabulary and definitions of words will help them with transfer test questions where they are asked to find synonyms, antonyms or word meanings!
Comprehensions
Throughout primary school, your child will probably complete hundreds (maybe even more!) of comprehension tasks. Especially as they enter Primary 6 and Primary 7. And what do comprehension activities require students to do? Read a piece of text, understand it and answer questions on it. The perfect thing to help with comprehension skills is of course reading.
If any of my students struggle with comprehension, the first thing I will ask them or their parents is do they read at home? When the answer is no, then you can guess what my recommendations are. If your child is used to reading different books and talking about what they have read, they are more likely to find comprehension activities easier than their peers who don’t read outside the classroom. Once your child enters secondary school, the level of comprehension tasks jumps significantly and they will be required to analyse pieces of texts in-depth. Therefore, the importance of reading comprehension skills is crucial for your child leaving primary school. If your child leaves primary school with a solid base for completing comprehension tasks, this should help with their Year 8 English classes. Even if your child isn’t sitting the transfer test, they will still complete comprehensions throughout primary school so enhancing these skills is still important for them.
Brain Development
I don’t want to get too scientific with this benefit of reading for your child. There are so many benefits of reading on the brain. Reading is essential for your child’s brain development. Reading has been proven to rewire the brain by creating new neural networks. This promotes cognitive growth and enhance problem-solving abilities. This isn’t just a fun hobby or a chore if your child hates reading books. Reading helps to keep your brain active and sharp.
Confidence in the Classroom
Did you ever get that horrible, nervous feeling that crept all over your body when your teacher was calling on students to read aloud in class? Well, I have the perfect antidote for that feeling! Guess what is it? Yup, you guessed it, reading at home. I’m not saying if your child reads at home that they won’t get a bit nervous when their teacher is looking for volunteers. However, the importance of reading a book at home can make them less likely to panic and shut down if they are regularly reading at home.
If your child is reading outside the classroom, this will give them the confidence to shine during reading time inside the classroom. Doing some reading at home will also allow your child to read at their own pace. They won’t be rushing to finish a chapter before the lunch bell rings or distracted by one of their peers messing around. They will be able to relax, take their time and absorb the story. This will also help with your child’s confidence within the classroom as the more they read at home, the more they will be able to mirror these reading skills in school.
Good Bedtime Routine
I am still trying hard with this one for myself and that is getting into a good bedtime routine. A good bedtime routine can significantly improve the quality of your sleep. It can also leave you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day the next morning. Instead of waking up feeling more tired than when you went to bed the night before! A great bedtime routine can include no screens one hour before bedtime and reading before going to bed.
Studies have shown the importance of reading on your child’s bedtime routine. Their sleep can be improved and they feel more relaxed before bed. Your child can read in the living room or kitchen (as long as it’s quiet and peaceful so they can concentrate) or they can read in bed. Personally, I love getting all cosy in my jammies and bringing a cup of tea and my book to bed. If you can encourage your child to read before bed, this can help them to have a more restful night’s sleep whilst getting some extra reading in at home. It’s a win-win situation!
Transfer Test Preparation
If your child is sitting the transfer test, then one of my top preparation tips is to read, read and read some more! The English section of the SEAG test papers includes grammar, punctuation and spelling sections and also a comprehension section, This includes multiple choice and open-response questions. This requires your child to read a piece of text and answer questions about what they have read. If your child is a regular reader at home, they may be more comfortable with reading the piece of text which can be ‘modern’ fiction, ‘old-fashioned’ fiction or non-fiction. They are also more likely to read the text at a quicker pace, which gives them more time to answer the questions or complete other sections of the paper.
The importance of reading can be identified throughout the complete transfer test paper, not just the English section. In the maths section, your child will be required to read a variety of maths word problems. These can include multiple steps for them to complete. If your child is sitting the transfer test and you would like some more preparation tips, don’t forget to grab your copy of ‘A Complete Guide to Prepare your Child for the Transfer Test’ here.
Four ways to encourage your child to read more
Now that we have covered the importance of reading for your child, let’s talk about ways you can encourage your child to read more at home. Your child might not need this motivation but if they do, give some of these tips and try and see what works best for your child. If all else fails, you can just pay them per book that they read! (And yes I do have a student that gets paid per read! Haha! Business person in the making? I think so!)
Importance of Reading: Have a reading reward chart
You’ve probably used some sort of reward chart with your child throughout the years. Whether it was a toilet training reward chart, a homework, behaviour or chores reward chart or your child’s teacher uses them in school. Reward charts are a great, visual tool for encouraging students to read more. Involve your child in the process by making one together. Go shopping together and choose some arts and crafts supplies and your child’s favourite stickers. By involving them in the creation of their reward chart, they are more likely to use it and read books to get stickers! So grab some coloured cards, glitter and some stickers and get reading! If your child isn’t keen on creating their own you can download a free printable reading chart here!
Importance of Reading: Read together
Another great way to encourage your child to read more at home is to read together. If your child sees you reading, they may want to mirror what you do. Schedule some time before bed to read together with your child. This means you also get some reading time of your own in as well. Make some tea or hot chocolate and get comfortable together. Your child will be reading more and you will also be spending quality time together which will be lovely after a busy day. It doesn’t have to be for a long time. Twenty to thirty minutes is a good amount of time in the evenings. And if you make the excuse that you don’t have enough time for this, then maybe ditch that episode of your new show on Netflix and grab your book instead. I’m no angel with this one because I can easily get sucked into the ‘I’ll just watch the first five minutes of the next episode,’ saga of Netflix!
Studies have shown that if children see their parents read, they are more likely to become readers themselves! So what are you waiting for? Grab that new crime thriller you’ve heard all about get reading and watch your child copy what you do! Well let’s hope they don’t pick up a crime thriller but you get my point!
Importance of Reading: Make it a habit before bedtime
Just like I mentioned in the bedtime routine section above, reading before bedtime is a great habit that benefits your child in more ways than one. It can be quite difficult to get into the routine of this at first. But once you do it often enough, it will become a habit and your child won’t even have to think about it. They will associate reading with bedtime and may automatically pick up their book after brushing their teeth. This is key to making reading a bedtime habit. Try and get your child in bed reading at the same time every night and after the same activity. For example, brushing their teeth.
Importance of Reading: Let your child choose their own books
My last tip for encouraging your child to read more at home is to let your child choose their own books. Take a trip to the bookstore and let your child browse the shelves and see what catches their eye. By letting your child choose their own books, they can get excited about what they are reading. They will feel more independent and mature because they are making the choice and not being told what to read in school. They are more likely to enjoy what they are reading which is a great incentive for reading becoming an enjoyable activity rather than a task. No matter what your child chooses to read, whether it’s Harry Potter or the latest David Walliams novel, it doesn’t matter, as long as they are reading that’s the main thing.
More information on the importance of reading for your child
Read It Again! Benefits of Reading to Young Children
Eight benefits of reading for children
Bedtime Stories: The Key to a Better Night’s Sleep for Both Kids and Parents
Children Who Read For Fun Do Better In Tests, Study Finds
Thank you for READING my blog post all about the importance of READING for your child. (I found that funnier than I should have!) But in all seriousness, I hope this blog post has given you some ways that you can encourage your child to read more outside the classroom. The benefits of reading out loud are just incredible for your child and to be honest I couldn’t think of any negatives of reading more at home! If your child protests at first, keep motivating and encouraging them to read and praise them when they do.
I hope that this blog post has given you some techniques to help your child read more and has shown you the importance of reading for your child outside the classroom.
