What with work, parenting and socialising, it’s easy to forget about picking up a book and reading as an adult. It’s widely known that reading to young children can help with their development, but it can be just as beneficial for adults.
Here Simply Glass Wipe Boards discusses five key benefits for families who read.
Reading helps children to expand their vocabulary
Exposing children to more words will help them to expand their vocabulary and their understanding of the world. That’s why it’s important to establish a regular reading routine with your children, no matter how young or old they are.
If your child is struggling, it’s crucial to read at a pace that suits them and pick a book that they’re comfortable with. Once they’re more confident with the basics, it’s likely that they’ll naturally transition to more complicated texts.
If you’re looking for inspiration on books to read with your family, here’s what other kids all over the country are currently reading:
Reading helps to reduce symptoms of depression
During those dark days, it can be difficult to think of a way out. However, research has shown that reading can help with these low feelings.
Picking up a book can help you to escape the harsh realities of life and help you to see the world from a different perspective. No matter whether you prefer a real-life hero story or a fictional sci-fi tale, those little breaks from reality can help you to manage your depression in a healthy way.
Some feel-good books you can enjoy with your kids include:
- Wonder – R.J Palacio
- Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life – James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts
- Rules – Cynthia Lord
Reading can help you to bond as a family
Between the morning school run and after-school rush, it can be difficult to find a quiet moment to spend with your children. However, if you introduce a reading routine into your day it can help you to spend a little bit more time with your children and form a closer bond.
A popular time to get into a book is right before bedtime. Not only can this help you to get closer to your child, but it can also help you to wind down and switch off before it’s time to sleep.
Reading can help you to get a better nights’ sleep
Research shows that using electronic devices before bed can keep your brain awake and prevent you from getting a good nights’ sleep. To avoid this, you and your family can use your bedtime story to prepare yourself for the night ahead.
To make the most of this time, make sure there are no distractions around before you start your book. Switch off phones, tablets and TVs and make sure there is minimal background noise so that you can get stuck into your book with ease.
Reading increases health and wellbeing on the whole
On the whole, reading can have a positive impact on health and wellbeing in kids and adults. Although it might be difficult to kickstart these habits as adults, you only need to read for 30 minutes a week or more to experience these benefits.
To help you and your family get started, here are a few easy reading tasks you and your kids can work through over the coming months:
Image sources: Simply Glass Wipe Boards
