Babies and young children are sponges that soak in practically everything in their environments. It’s true! Even during story time, their minds are at work, taking in all the language they hear and lessons the characters learn. Reading to your child — at any age — will boost their brain development, your bond, and so much more. And all it takes is a few books, motivation, and a little time.
What are the benefits of reading to children?
First, set the scene in your head. You choose a book. You sit down in your favorite armchair, with your child in your lap, and open to the first of many smooth, colorful pages.
You begin to read, and your child is utterly captivated by the story. It’s magic. What’s even better is that your child isn’t just having fun, they’re learning!
Reality may look a little different: Just know you’re not alone if your baby tries to eat the book or your toddler wanders around the room instead of sitting patiently. But the benefits of reading remain the same.
Bonding
Reading provides a wonderful opportunity for you and your child to connect. It’s a nice way to spend time together and slow down during an otherwise hectic day.
Research from 2008 pointed out how reading can support a solid parent-child relationship. Kids feel secure when they’re read to. Plus, caregivers who have a positive attitude toward books and reading in turn help their children view literacy in a positive way.
Listening skills
Hearing a story read aloud involves some level of comprehension on your child’s part. And comprehension is dependent on paying attention — in other words, listening skills.
The experts at Scholastic explain that listening is a skill kids must acquire before they can read themselves.
They suggest that books on tape are a great addition to reading one-on-one with your child.
These often provide entertainment value, too, like silly voices, music, and other
embellishments.
Cognitive and language development
Even the youngest children benefit from hearing their caregivers read to them. A 2013 study showed that babies who are read to and talked to score higher in language skills and cognitive development, like problem solving.
Research suggests that this link extends throughout childhood into the teen years. In fact, researchers say that verbal interactions (reading, talking, etc.) between parents and young kids may promote higher language and IQ scores all the way up to age 14.
Expanded vocabulary
Experts from the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning also explain that reading books to kids helps expand the number and variety of words they use. Think about it: The books you read often contain words you might not otherwise use in your everyday communications.
While reading a book, you might end up using more specific names for different plants or animals or use more adjectives (descriptive words) altogether. And this adds up.
One source estimated that children who are regularly read to in the 5 years leading up to kindergarten are exposed to 1.4 million more words than children who aren’t read to during those years.
Attention span
Dinah Castro, a bilingual family well-being educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension, shares that reading to children helps them develop key concentration and self-discipline skills.
You’ve probably dealt with a squirming, distracted toddler at story hour. But what you may also notice is that — over time — regular reading gets kids listening in order to comprehend.
And when they’re listening, they’re more likely to sit still, develop a longer attention span, and even work on their budding memory-retention skills.
Creativity
Books and stories open up a whole new world to your child. Yes, there are plenty of nonfiction books on dinosaurs, bugs, and airplanes. Fiction stories, though, go beyond the real world and employ fantasy elements that get kids thinking outside the box.
Children have vivid imaginations as is, so reading serves to further feed their creativity. Experts at PBS note that creativity is important for developing interests and ideas, as well as for fostering emotional health.
Life lessons
Books provide an opportunity to talk about real-world situations in age-appropriate ways. Kids especially enjoy books that feature children their own ages doing things they do in everyday life.
Along with modeling what happens in various situations, reading books on targeted subjects may help children not feel alone when they deal with something new, like moving across the country, or something potentially uncomfortable, like going to the dentist.
Social and emotional development
Dinah Castro also says that reading to young children teaches them how to cope with “difficult or stressful experiences.” She further explains that reading stories about potentially emotional situations, like starting at a new school, can help get a conversation going and show children that their feelings are normal.
How and when should you start reading to children?
Start today! Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and even older children all benefit from having a caregiver read to them. You don’t even need a large personal library of books to get started.
Think beyond the store — you can find a wide variety of books at your local library, secondhand shop, or Little Free Library. You can even encourage your child to borrow books from and lend them to their friends.
The youngest babies (under 6 months old) benefit from books that have simple but bold or bright images with lots of contrast. Talk to your baby as you look at the books, but words on the page aren’t necessary.
As they get a bit older (7 to 12 months), you may want to expand your collection to books with simple phrases or just a line of text that relates to the picture on the page.
Babies ages 12 to 18 months may find books with pictures of other children doing everyday things interesting. Same goes for books that have animals, television characters, or other familiar scenes in them. For this age group, you may look for books that have more detailed pictures and a simple story or progression of events.
As your baby starts to babble and eventually talk, try involving them in what they see on the page.
For example, point to a picture and ask “What’s that?” or declare “That’s a banana!” to get your child engaging with the book. Keep it positive and try to repeat your child’s words back to them (“Yes — that looks like a cat, but it’s actually a squirrel!”).
There are lots of books, so try not to get too overwhelmed. Nursery rhymes, especially ones you might have memorized, are a good choice for babies.
And as far as construction, look for sturdy books that are made from cardboard (board books), fabric, or vinyl. Books with handles are also fun and let your baby transition from reading time to play time.
Kids between the ages of 19 and 30 months also enjoy books that feature familiar characters.
At this age, they tend to favor books with lots of action, pictures, and details versus lots of words on the page. Look for books that contain short stories, particularly those with cause-and-effect relationships or a problem that the characters must work to overcome.
Repetition is important at this age, so try to find books that allow you to rhyme, sing, or otherwise repeat the text in some way. While you’re at it, take some time to pause as you read books with repetition to see if your little one fills in the blank.
You may also want to take time to draw connections between a main character and your child. For example, you might point out, “He’s sleeping in a big boy bed, just like you!”
By the way, you can start introducing books made with paper pages versus board books at this age. Just be sure to supervise to guard against your child ripping the pages.
Reading to your child
Preschoolers and elementary school-aged kids have a wide range of reading abilities. It’s a good idea to take their lead when it comes to simple versus complex books.
Younger kids (and even some older ones) may still appreciate pictures with little text. That said, you can start introducing stories that have more complex plots in them and books with more words than pictures — even chapter books.
As your child begins reading on their own, you might involve them in the process of reading together by asking them to read words or sentences out loud along the way. This is great practice.
Ask questions as you move through the text, too — you don’t have to wait until the end of the book or chapter to check your child’s comprehension. Try open-ended questions like “What do you think might happen next?” These will help your child delve deeper, rather than surface questions like “What color is the house?”
Experts recommend engaging in literacy activities (like reading) for around 30 minutes per day.
But you can also think outside the book here.
Try reading traffic signs or cereal boxes, singing songs, listening to audiobooks together, or having your child read to you to the best of their ability. It’s all good.
Local Libraries
Call to see if any information provided has changed!
Hastings Public Library
314 N Denver Avenue
4024612346
Itty Bitty Story Time
Mondays 10:00
For ages 0-24 months
Join us for stories, rhymes, literacy, and lots of smiles and giggles. (Parents or caregivers should plan on participating with their children. Reservations appreciated but not required.)
Preschool Story Hour
Wednesdays, 10 am to 11:00 am
For children ages 3–6. Children are encouraged to select books to check out and then are read or told stories for approximately 30 minutes. (No advance registration is required.)
Toddler Time
Thursdays, 10:00 am
A special story time for children younger than 3. Each child must be accompanied by a lap! Join us for stories, songs and finger-plays followed by play time. (No advance registration is required.)
Tails for Tales
Saturdays 10 am to 11 am
Each 3rd Saturday of every month, spend the morning reading stories to four-pawed friends from the local K-9s and Friends group.
Imagination Playground
First Saturdays 11:00 – 11:45 am
Join us in creating a variety of play patters, including construction, pretend play, role-playing and inventing your own games!
Grand Island Public Library
1124 W 2nd St.
Grand Island, NE 68801
Wednesday; Preschooler Story Time 10:30
This program for children 3-5 years old can include stories, crafts, music, and treats.
Baby and Toddler Lapsits; Friday @ 10:30 am Ages – 0 – 2
Baby Lapsit is a program for children from birth to 2 years of age. Babies and parents/caregivers will read books, do fingerplays, listen to music, sing, and more!
Preschool Prime Time Family Reading Time – Saturdays 11:00 AM
Pajama Family Story HourTime – Monday 6:30
It is for preschoolers and their families. Families will play with educational toys, listen to stories, do crafts, enjoy music, and other hands-on pre-literacy fun!
Clay Center Public Library
117 W Edgar St Clay Center, NE 68933
402-762-3861
Fairfield Public Library
Fairfield Public Library
412 North D Street
PO Box 278
Fairfield, NE 68938
Phone: 402-726-2104
Fax: 402-726-2388
Email: fplibrary@hotmail.com
Monday & Wednesday
1:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Alice M Farr Library – Aurora
1603 L St Aurora, NE 68818
(402) 694-2272
PRE-SCHOOL STORYTIME
This storytime is designed for children 3-5 years old. During the 20-30 minute period, we read books, enjoy a craft and play simple games.
Pre-school story time starts October 4th and runs through March 28, 2023 every Tuesday morning at 10:30 am.
SUMMER READING PROGRAM
Our summer reading program is for children pre-school through 6th grade. We hope the reading program helps kids to stay turned on to reading during the summer months. The summer reading program starts with a special “kick off” program. Sometimes it’s a magician or some other fun show.
Attention Young Readers! The Summer Reading Program begins Monday, June 6, and ends Saturday, July 9. Sign-up week is May 31- June 4. This year’s theme is “Oceans of Possibilities”.
Giltner Public Library
4020 N Commercial Ave Giltner, NE 68841
402-849-2290
Blue Hill Public Library
317 W Gage St, Blue Hill, NE 68930
(402) 756-2701
Monday: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
Tuesday: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
Wednesday: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
Thursday: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
Friday: Closed
Saturday: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Sunday: Closed
Sutton Public Library
201 S Saunders Ave Bldg. 1 Sutton, NE 68979
(402) 773-5259
Library Hours
Monday 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Wednesday 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Thursday 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Friday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Auld Doudna Public Library
155 Grant St Guide Rock, NE 68942
(402) 257-4015
Auld Public Library
537 N Webster St Red Cloud, NE 68970
(402) 746-3352
M-T-W-F
1:00 – 6:00 PM
TH
1:00 – 7:00
Saturday
9:00 AM – Noon
Franklin Public Library
1502 P St Franklin, NE 68939
(308) 425-3162
Superior Public Library
449 N Kansas St Superior, NE 68978
402-879-4200
Campbell Library
721 Board Street, Campbell
402-756-8121
Tuesday 9 am – 11:30 am
Tuesday 10 am – 11 am – Coffee and book club – anyone welcome!
Open on Saturdays by appointment
Nelson Public Library
73 E 4th St, Nelson, NE 68961