The Importance of Reading

My Father's World fosters the importance of reading with our amazing book lists included in the appendix of each Teacher's Manual. You can rest assured all of these books are safe for your children to read and have been prescreened by our author. Only the very best books are selected for this list.

Reading aloud to preschoolers is one of the most valuable gifts parents/teachers can offer. Not only will this build a strong foundation in literacy and enhance their language development, it will create a love of learning and such a sweet bond.

Reading promotes cognitive development by stimulating the imagination and promoting critical thinking skills and helps children make connections between the story and their own experiences. Since 80 percent of a child's brain is developed before the age of five, this is even more critical. We can also increase their social and emotional development with books of diversity by helping them understand different perspectives. Books can build empathy and help children see things from a different perspective.

Regular reading can improve your child's concentration, and studies have shown that children who are read to consistently have higher levels of academic achievement in many areas. When we read to our children, we are also increasing their print awareness for early literacy. Knowing what the words and letters look like and pointing to them will increase that love of reading in these early years. Reading introduces new words and sentence structures, enriching their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Children who are read to regularly have approximately 290,000 more words by the time they are five.

While the academic benefits of reading to your children are undisputed, the benefit that I feel is the greatest is the incredible bond you create with your child. Having intentional one on one time to focus on your child through a book is unmatched. Having an Alexa or a screen read to your child will not create the same bond as the physical touch of curling up in your lap and physically holding a book. What's better than having a child curl up on your lap for a good book? Whether I am reading to a whole class or one of my grandchildren, reading to preschoolers is my favorite.