Reading to Your Kindergartener Can Really Benefit Them in the Future

Finding the time to read to your kids can be hard sometimes, especially if you’re a working parent. But this activity isn’t only a way to bond with your child, introduce them to some basic vocabulary, and feed their imagination. It’s also crucial if you want your kids to do well in school and to ensure that learning will come easy to them.

We at Bright Side have found out about the “million-word gap” between children whose parents read 5 books to them per day and children whose parents didn’t read to them at all. Let’s figure out what it means!

5 books can make a huge difference.

A study conducted by Ohio State University found that children whose parents read 5 books to them per day heard about 1.4 million words by the age of 5. At the same time, children whose parents didn’t read to them only heard about 4,600 words by the same age. The study says this might be the main reason we see differences in vocabulary and reading development in children.

Your child will have a head start.

When parents read out loud, their children learn new vocabulary and revise the words they already know, but they might not know how they’re spelled yet. When they start kindergarten or school, it will be easier for them to recognize the words they’ve heard before when they see them in textbooks. Therefore, they can learn to read faster and it can also be a lot easier for them than for children who haven’t been read to a lot.

Reading is better than just talking.

When parents talk to their children, they use relatively simple words. And the ways those words are used are also limited to practical, everyday activities.

Books, in contrast, have a wider variety of topics and therefore, more new vocabulary which can also be more complex. This can be a magic world with fairies and elves, or a book about nature. Many words that come from these stories aren’t used in everyday life and by reading out loud, parents can introduce them to their kids.

How often do you read to your child and how many books do you typically go through? Do you have any book recommendations? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!