Bonding with Your Child through Book Reading
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Do you remember walking into the library as a child and looking at all the books that filled up the shelves? Do you remember taking children’s books to read at home? I remember those days so vividly at my school library and the Red Bridge library my mother used to take me during the summer to check out my favorite Junie B. Jones chapter books.
There are so many articles, books, and blogs that share the importance of children reading and how it helps your child prepare for their reading level. But what if bonding with your children through reading overpowered the mindset of making sure your children are just getting another thing done off their checklist? As a parent bond with their child through book reading, everything else like growing in their reading skills will take place.
Something I learned through book reading with my daughter is that there is a time investment that I will never be able to get back. When we sit down and read together, it gives me the space to be still and present with my daughter. Reading to my daughter has been a daily activity since the time she was born.
Three things I have learned about sitting down and engaging with my daughter in a book are:
1. There is less time to be soaked in and engaged on my phone. Social media or watching our favorite tv show can often grab our attention. Book reading does not allow the space to be involved in everything else going on around us.
2. You witness new milestones developing in your child firsthand. I remember the first time I exposed my daughter to touch and feel books. It was amazing to see her recognize that she could feel the pages of the book and know there was a texture to feel by the time she was eight months old.
3. You show your kids that making time for them is important and valuable. Whether your child is an infant, toddler, or school-aged, they understand when their parent is around spending time with them. You may not always have a lot of time but taking some time each day matters to them.
Book reading does not just create a learning experience. Most importantly, it creates a bonding experience with a child and their parent. It cultivates a space for the parent to see where their child is growing, developing, and interested in. Have you tried spending time reading to your children every day? If not, it is not too late to pick up a book and set a space to read. You just might be surprised at the things you will witness as you see your child engage in one of their favorite books and the bond it creates between the two of you.
