Reading to Kids: Why It Matters

As parents, we hear all the time that reading to our kids helps them develop a genuine love of reading. And it’s true that reading together is a crucial way to support children’s language skills and literacy. But being read to also helps them learn to manage their emotions, build empathy, and understand people different from themselves. It helps them feel more connected to their caregivers, too — and they can even learn more easily when they’re cuddled up with you.

This week on childmind.org we take a closer look at why it’s important to read to your child and how to make reading routines work for your family. It doesn’t matter much what you read or how you read it — the essential thing is just to make reading with you part of your kids’ daily lives. We also have information on the most effective kind of reading instruction, how to tell whether your child’s school is using it, and what to look out for if you think your child might have a learning challenge like dyslexia.