Storytime

Storytime

Why is it important to read stories to your children? Is this a practice that is a habit, or is it “hit and miss?” 

When I was young, my mother read stories to us every night before bedtime. She rarely missed an evening. We loved it and in turn my older sister and myself became avid readers at a very young age. My younger sister found that she really liked to read western novels as well as other genre books and became an avid reader as well.

Storytime in the classroom, as long as the teacher picks a good book, is also an important part of school. Some favorites are Magic School Bus books for younger kids and anything that is an adventure with lots of action for the middle grades. If your child is homeschooled, don’t forget the story time. It’s just as important for them.

Reading to your child during the day when they are young is great and helps to instill a love of reading; but the Bedtime story is my favorite. I loved it when my mother read bedtime stories to us, and my daughter was the same. My mom would read to us from a Bible storybook. It gave us a great foundation in our Christian beliefs. My mom also read to us from Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories (5 Volumes). These were stories that always had a moral. Some were short and some were long, but we loved them all because they all had to do with real life, and as kids, we could relate to them. I still remember some of those stories.

Think of your child’s favorite stories. Which books did they like the best? What was there about those books that made your child want you to read them over and over? I can only speak from experience. My daughter loved Peter Rabbit. She also loved some of the Dr. Seuss books like There’s a Wocket in My Pocket. It’s amazing how a young child can remember the words to some of their favorite stories, especially when they have repeating phrases. They seem to just wait for those phrases and automatically say them with you.

My advice is to pick out a good Bible storybook that is age appropriate, and several other books including those that rhyme. Being able to identify rhyming words is an important reading skill, and what better way to work on that skill than in story form. Now, start reading to and with your child whenever you have an opportunity to do so. Make it a priority.

I realize that most of my Blogs are short, but that’s intentional. They are meant to be “Small Bites” for busy parents.

If your child is having trouble hearing every sound (phonemic awareness) checkout Book 1 in my store. For a very reasonable cost, it can be downloaded and will provide you with the tools to help your child at home learn this very critical skill needed to become a good reader.