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Reading is an amazing parent-child activity, but the sad truth is that mums are far more likely to read to their children than dads.
But with more and more modern dads taking a much more active role in their children’s upbringing, we’re really starting to see the benefits of dads reading to their children, and understanding how important they are in helping children to read. In fact, teaching your child to read is something dads can also play a pivotal role in.
Numerous studies have shown that reading stimulates the neurons inside a child’s brain, and builds optimal neural pathways for brain development - leading to stronger language skills, better literacy, and social-emotional skills.
We know that the vast majority of a child’s brain development takes place in the first five years, and so reading to them regularly is incredibly important.
Reading is so often a close affair when it comes to children. As newborns we hold them close in our arms, as toddlers we sit them on our laps, and as they get older, we might snuggle next to them in bed or on the sofa. That physical closeness promotes an emotional and mental closeness, helping to form stronger bonds between dad and child.
Reading isn’t just a great bonding activity, however. According to the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation reading with a child helps them to develop stronger and more meaningful relationships as they grow older, improve their sense of self-worth and self-confidence, build resilience to stress and foster an ability to regulate their emotions.
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There are also several studies pointing towards developmental benefits specifically related to dads reading to and with their children.
Many suggest that children whose fathers are engaged in reading and their education are more likely to progress quicker, find more enjoyment and achieve more at school. One conducted by Imperial College London in 2017 found a stronger cognitive development among children whose fathers engage with them on activities like reading.
In fact, in 2015, Harvard researchers argued that dads reading to children is actually more beneficial than when mums read to them (although they’re both very beneficial. This was after the study found that fathers and their children have more imaginative discussions once they’ve finished reading - thus aiding their development and creativity.
To borrow Nike’s phrase, just reading to and with your child is the single most important thing you can do to encourage the benefits of reading, both mental and emotional. There are studies that show starting as early as during pregnancy have tangible developmental benefits in the early years.
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If you want to take it a step further and teach your child how to read, there are plenty of reading programmes available designed to do just that. Programmes like Children Learning Reading teach phonemes and phonics, helping children to learn the sounds that make up our language and the relationships between sounds and written text. They’re usually very quick and simple to introduce to the home, meaning.
The easiest way to make reading together a staple of your daily routine is to schedule some time. Most tend to do it at bed time as it fits in nicely with the bedtime routine when you’re trying to make everything that bit calmer and quieter.
Setting a time also helps the bonding because it’s your special reading time together.
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