Literature is what keeps us informed and inspires our curiosity. When reading, we are always looking for something new to learn, for another story we can get lost in. Reading as a hobby is especially important for your children’s cognitive development. So, how can you get your child to reach for their book instead of a tablet?
Why It’s Important to Read to Your Children
For most parents, it isn’t easy to get their children interested in books, especially when they can’t read yet. But even if your child is just learning the alphabet and can barely piece words together, it’s important for them to be surrounded by new words and stories.
Reading to your child is necessary for a number of reasons, some of them being:
- Language development – Babies start developing their language skills from the moment they are born. By exposing them to new phrases through reading from a very early age, you help them recognise patterns in sentences, while also teaching them how to better express their thoughts verbally.
- Builds Emotional Awareness – Through the stories you read and the characters that live them, you teach your child about empathy and how to better understand emotions. A higher emotional awareness in children leads to a better reaction during stressful situations and an easier time processing their surroundings.
- Bonding – Spending time curled on the sofa together strengthens the bond between a parent and a child. Listening to a parent’s soothing voice also helps improve brain function in young kids.
How to Choose a Book for Your Child
When it comes to picking out a book you want to buy your child, it’s important to remember that children want to read books about other children, just ones that are slightly older than themselves.
If your child is under 5 years old, they most likely can’t read yet or are just learning how to. When getting storybooks for your little ones, you should get shorter ones, composed of 10 pages or fewer, preferably made of thick cardboard, so the strong baby grip can’t rip them apart.
Alternatively, to get them even more engaged, you can get personalised childrens books for Christmas, Easter, or some other holiday. Personalised storybooks can feature pictures of your child, your family and friends – all familiar faces that your little one can recognise and be more interested in.
For kids 5-10, consider books under 100 pages that are filled with pictures. These books are often written using repetitive sentences and easy vocabulary to ensure your child won’t get frustrated when reading.
When the tween years come around, middle-grade novels become their best friends. Books such as Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, as well as countless others, are classified as chapter books with a slightly more complicated language than children’s literature.
The most popular genre of teenage books is Young Adult. These books are proper novels that employ complex world-building and often explore difficult subjects through the power of fiction.
Gifting Children’s Books for the Holidays
The holidays have an interesting way of coming around each year. From Birthdays to Easter and to Christmas, it’s difficult to think of an interesting gift for your kids time after time.
Books are one of the most versatile and personal gifts you could ever give to someone. Even if you have already gotten your child a book before, chances are they will be equally excited to get a new one.
Kids grow out of clothes, start to find toys boring, and get too tall for their bikes, but a good book is forever.
A well-chosen book evokes emotion. It shows that you pay attention and care about your child’s interests. They connect the characters in the books you give them to you, which leaves a long-lasting impression.
Get your child a softcover they can easily bring everywhere, or a hardcover that will decorate their bookshelf.
Besides the usual bookstore books, you could also get your child a personalised storybook. This way, they don’t have to imagine themselves as one of the characters because they will be the characters. This gift will broaden their imagination and make them feel like they are a part of something big.
Benefits of Personalised Storybooks
From improving children’s reading engagement to increasing confidence, personalised books are becoming recognised as an effective tool for learning and children’s development.
Getting personalised childrens books for Christmas or birthdays is the perfect holiday gift, and here’s why:
- Boosts Self-esteem – Personalising the stories your children read helps them study and understand their actions from a different standpoint. When characters in books make difficult decisions, they see themselves as capable of making the right choices, which further develops their confidence and gets them to appreciate their skills.
- Deeper Understanding of the Story – Incorporating characters from your child’s daily life in the books they read can deepen their emotional connection to the story. Your child will likely read the book repeatedly because of their personal involvement in the story.
- Diversifies the Reading Experience – Children of colour are rarely represented in children’s literature. Not identifying with the characters they are reading about can often make kids feel emotionally disconnected from the story. By buying your kids their own personalised childrens books for Christmas or any other holiday, you ensure that the characters in the stories they read not only look like them, but also share the same values.
- Improves Literacy Skills – It’s a proven fact that book personalisation improves not only children’s motivation but their ability to learn as well. When a child is interested in the story they are reading, they easily pick up new words and improve their reading speed.
Conclusion
Books are food for your child’s mind. Reading books as a hobby is especially important for your children’s personal development. Books teach children valuable lessons on friendship, family, and inclusion. Encourage your child to pick up a book today, and help them discover the joy and benefits of reading over screen time.
