How often do you read with your child? It’s something that as a parent, we all know our children will benefit greatly from, but hand on heart, how many of us get to the end of the day and are just ready for a well-earned rest?

There is lots research available on the Internet that highlights the benefits of reading on a regular basis with your child – including increased literacy and numeracy skills in children who are read to at least three to five times per week. Reading with your child develops their imagination and builds their interest in wanting to be able to read.  Here are our top reasons as to why we think that reading with your child before bedtime is important!

Helping With Vocabulary

Reading on a regular basis is proven to increase your child’s vocabulary. Introducing new words and showing how words can be used in different ways helps to improve a child’s confidence which will stand them in good stead when starting school.

And The Moral Of The Story Is …

With the majority of children’s story books, there is usually a good moral hidden within the text. Reading with your child not only allows them to increase their confidence and vocabulary, you will also be teaching them good life values such as the importance of integrity.

Imagine That …

One of the most rewarding experiences of reading with a child is watching their imagination grow. Their eyes grow wide with excitement as the characters come to life.

Building their imagination through reading stories will help them to develop and feel confident in creative play – something that is easily lost in today’s technology world.  

One-to-One Time

As a working parent, reading with your child is the perfect way to have some dedicated one-to-one time. Making it part of your regular bedtime routine and reading a story at bedtime is a fantastic way to develop the bond with your child with no other distractions.

Last but by no means least, reading is fun! Children’s literature is full of classics from authors like Roald Dahl – plus there is a constant stream of new literature available. David Walliams has written some fantastic books that help to capture your child’s imagination yet are great to read as adults. As your child gets older, JK Rowling’s, Harry Potter books also make fantastic reading for parents whilst taking your child on a magical adventure.

As a parent, it is our job to give our children the tools they need to grow.  Reading is a fantastic way to provide educational support. Not only that, reading also offers emotional learning and social support. What a difference just five minutes of reading each night can make!  

Here at Cuddles, we have a list of 16 core books that we recommend are good reading for parents with their children – why not take a look – how many have you read?