Why It’s Important to READ Together as a Family
We all know that it’s important to read to your kids when they’re young, but what happens when they can read on their own? Is there any reason to keep reading together?
Scholastic’s recently released 2015 Kids and Family Reading Report shows that 40 percent of children ages 6 to 11 whose parents no longer read books to them at home say they wished their parents still did, and I would like to propose that just as eating together as a family is important to help a family connect and build relationships, reading together as a family is important.
Related: Best Books for Kids
Reading together encourages family bonding and spurs collaborative learning activities.
- When children are young and parents read to them, it piques their interest in reading. It is also fun to have the children make up stories regarding pictures in children’s books. As children get older, reading aloud to family members helps them to become stronger readers.
- Families who participate in family reading time have stronger bonds than those that don’t.
- Children who read during family reading time are proven to have higher grades in school. They also exhibit higher self-confidence than children who don’t have quality family time together.
- It is one more way to pursue and build relationships with your children as they become young adults.
Family reading time can occur as little as once a week or more. Many families make make games out of it. Individual families can decide if only one person reads aloud or if they take turns. Fun games can even be made up to help retain information that has been read. If time allows sometimes the individual family members can write and illustrate their own small stories to be read aloud.
No matter the style chosen, family reading nights are a great way for families to connect!
Looking for help to get started? Check out these book lists and pick a few up at your local library, then turn off the TV tonight and READ TOGETHER!
100 books to read with your child 
books about bugs for kids 
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original image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/danacvoss/6414900129
