Reading aloud is not only extremely enjoyable, it can also play a very important role in a child's development. Reading aloud has many positive effects on the emotional, cognitive and social development of a child. So start at a very young age!
Reading aloud has a positive effect on language development
Many parents start reading aloud when their child starts talking, usually around the age of 2 to 2 ½ years. What is not very well known is that passive language development (understanding spoken language, but not being able to talk themselves) starts much earlier than this.
Research has shown that starting to read aloud from +/- 8 months has a positive effect on the child's language development in later life. Reading aloud exposes a child to a wider and more diverse range of words and increases insight into spelling and text comprehension. There is also a link between being read to and later interest (and pleasure) in reading.
How do you choose a suitable book?
How do you choose a suitable book from the multitude on offer? First of all, choose a book that you like and that is a good read (some books are better than others), but also one that is appropriate for your child's age and interests. Reading books about major changes in your child's life (e.g. moving house, the birth of a brother or sister, going to school) is a great way to bring this up.
Some book tips for reading aloud to children between 0-4 years:
- The Little Whale, Benji Davies
A touching, loving story about friendship with endearing illustrations.
- Coco kan het, Loes Riphagen
An encouraging book about courage, self-confidence and being able to do more than you think.
- The tiger is sleeping, Britta Teckentrup
A fun interactive book where the child really participates in the adventurous story.
- Kikker is bang, Max Velthuis
The stories of Frog make different emotions discussable in a nice and accessible way, like in this book the emotion 'fear'.
Did you know that....
children can become members of the library from birth? The library's youth subscription is also completely free for children up to the age of 18. The subscription offers endless reading, watching and listening pleasure!
Would you like to know more about reading aloud and more great book tips? Listen to episode 14 of the Opvoedingscast in which Amber and Laurie tell you why reading aloud is important for young and old, what reading aloud means and how to make it fun for yourself. And of course, book tips are shared!