Why you really, really should read to your child every night -- and at what age you can stop.

by Babs Hadjusiewicz May 15, 2009

"Is it really important that I read aloud to her every day?" you ask.

Yes! Read aloud to your infant.

Yes! Read aloud to your toddler.

Yes! Read aloud to your preschooler. Yes! Read aloud to your 5 year old. Yes! Read aloud to your 6 year old. Yes! Read aloud to your 7 year old. Yes! Read aloud to your 8 year old. And Yes! Read aloud to your 9, 10, 11, 12 year old. And Yes! Read aloud with your 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 year olds! Get my point? Yes! Read aloud every day to and with your child of any and every age! Why? Because reading aloud is the single most important activity you do that reaps so much for your child's entire life! “But why is that?” you ask. "And how do I do it?" WOW! Those two questions lie behind my reasons for writing this blog. So stay tuned every weekday (yes, all summer long, too!) for lots of responses to those questions...and to more questions that come to your mind as we go along. For today, we'll tackle an overview of some reasons you must not go to bed tonight or any night without having read to your child. (Unless, that is, you want to go to sleep feeling guilty!) So, check out the following bulleted points. Then carry these ideas with you as you go about life today. And go to bed tonight guilt-free...because you made an investment in your child! You carved out at least 5 minutes today to read aloud to your child! And here's why you did that: Why I read aloud to my child every day...

It builds vocabulary.
It builds knowledge of the world.
It models how people learn vocabulary and knowledge: from reading print and listening to language that’s been recorded as print.
It builds a love for learning language and knowledge.

WOW! There it is! Have fun! And come back on Funday Monday when you'll gain a tip or two about how to read aloud to your child of any age.

Babs Hadjusiewicz

Author

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