Reading is Fundamental – Lame
It could have been The Cat in the Hat. It might have been Where The Wild Things Are. It might have been Shannon Messenger’s Keeper Of The Lost Cities.
Whatever the tale, I’ll bet one of the reasons you love it is because someone – a parent, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle – read it to you as a bedtime story.
Bedtime stories strengthen family ties, inculcate a love for reading in youngsters, and is the number-one contributor to scholastic achievement. It’s a tradition that stretches back generation after generation.
It’s also a tradition that may be on life support. According to Scripps News, fewer and fewer Gen Z and millennial parents read aloud to their kiddos. Why?
One guess. Adults find it boring. They don’t enjoy it. Some claim they don’t have the time. Others say their kids would rather watch a show or throw a tantrum over screen time. The Guardian reports that screen time for tots has replaced story time.
“What’s a book, Mommy?”
Reading to a child can feel like a relic of Ye Olden Tymes in an age of Tablets, TikToks and Total Immersion in the Digital Mud Pit. It used to be storybooks; now it’s iPads and Cocomelon.
Educators are ringing alarm bells.
“Reading aloud to young children has been proven over and over to be one of the most important things a parent can do,” says a literacy expert in the Guardian piece. “When that disappears, the downstream effects on vocabulary, emotional development, and even empathy are enormous.”
If you’re thinking this is just an old-fogey complaint, consider this: a 2023 study found that many children entering kindergarten lack the language skills expected of their age – a result some experts attribute to fewer books and more screens in the home.
The brutal truth: Kids who aren’t being read to start to fall behind. And too many of them are destined to stay there.
“Daddy, read me the one about…Daddy?…Daddy?”
No one says Gen Z parents have it easy. It’s tough enough paying the bills and keeping a roof over the family’s head when the economic and political scene are in a state of free-fall. And no sane person would make the claim that raising children is a happy jaunt through Wonderland.
Well, tough. Boredom is part of being a parent. No one says changing diapers or sitting through an endless school pageant is thrilling. Your presence is required. Reading to kids isn’t Netflix-level entertainment. You do it because you care – or should – about the emotional, cognitive, and social development of your progeny. Bonding, language development, and a greater understanding of the world are fostered by reading to kids. Who wants to deprive them of these essential qualities?
Early exposure to language and storytelling is crucial to a child’s vocabulary, imagination, patience, and listening skills – the building blocks of empathy. According to research from PBS and Child Mind Institute, kids who are regularly read to:
● Develop stronger literacy skills
● Have better attention spans
● Form closer bonds with caregivers
● Are more prepared for school
● Show higher levels of emotional intelligence
Children who grow up in low-literacy households are more likely to struggle academically, drop out of school, and earn less as adults. Ignorance takes a heavy toll.
Any tale will do. Comic books, joke books, picture books, or even the back of a cereal box. The key is creating a moment of shared language and attention.
Let your kid select the book. Read it aloud with all of the funny voices in your repertoire. A reading session doesn’t have to be novel-length. Shorter reads add up. Studies show that reading aloud even 10 minutes a day can have a significant effect on a child’s brain development and emotional well-being.
Remember: You don’t have to be Zendaya or Timothée Chalamet to read aloud. Reading to your kids isn’t a performance, it’s a gift. One that pays off for the rest of their lives.
The ancient philosopher Chinese Lao Tzu once said: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
Very few things in this world happen immediately. We prepare, we work, we take step after step. And, with perseverance and good fortune, we will eventually reach our destination.
So tonight – take that first step. Put down the damn phone, pick up a book, and read to your kids.
Just read.
