It’s the end of the day and everyone is tired. We’ve had a full day of school and work, picked up from jump rope practice, finished homework, cooked dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, even managed to get a load of laundry done – we just don’t have time to do twenty minutes of reading tonight! Ever had this thought at the end of a long day? Don’t worry, we all have. But skipping the reading today will lead to skipping the reading tomorrow and before we know it, a whole week, month, or year of daily reading has slipped through our fingertips.

The importance of reading every day with your child can’t be stressed enough. The benefits are numerous and the outcomes are priceless. Reading with your child for twenty minutes every day strengthens cognitive thinking, increases attention span, builds empathy, grows vocabulary, and creates a love of reading they will carry with them for a lifetime. There is an incredible difference in overall academic achievement between a child who reads daily and one who does not. There is massive amounts of research showing the link between daily reading and high achievement scores. Want your child to be in the upper percentile of learners? Read, read together.

Read a novel, read an informational text, read what interests your child. Does cooking intrigue your young one? Find a cookbook, read the recipes, and enjoy some time in the kitchen. Have a child who loves trains? Go to the library and find some amazing books about the history of the American railroad. The possibilities are endless – the adventures are splendid.

There is no better time to read with your child than right before bed time. Wait until their homework is done, their tummies are full, their baths are taken, and it is time to settle in for the night. Cozy up with a good book and enjoy some bonding time before the close of the day. You read a page and your child read a page – do this together! Remember to leave time to discuss what you’ve read. Who is ready for a trip to the library?

Author: Heather Martin