Republish: 10 Great Reasons to Read to Your Children

Sometimes we need a little motivation to get us going in the right direction, to continue on course or to resume a course of action we once started. This is true for many parents when it comes to reading to our children.

Some of us hardly or never ever read to our children. We must take heed and start reading aloud to our children. Starting now is better than never.

Some parents began reading to our children from babyhood and all the way into kindergarten age. Then slowly we let the read-aloud habit fall to the wayside as our child grew into an independent reader. But our child still needs to hear our voice, expression and pronunciation. Did you know that our children can listen at a higher level than they can read themselves?

So read, read, read. We must read everyday with our baby, toddler, preschooler, kindergarten, elementary, middle school child. We may even read to our late teen/young adult child as one parent has done.

Here are 10 Great Reasons to Read to Your Children

1. “A Command” – The Qur’an, the best book and guidance, begins with the word “Read”. Read the Qur’an, read the hadith and then read some more. There are many Islamic books (and the numbers are growing) for you to read aloud to your child (see the book reviews on this blog).
2. “Learn the Deen” – Sharing books is one great way of teaching children Islam.
3. “Together Time” – Reading brings families together. What better way than to spend time together sitting and sharing books.
4. “Warm Connections” –  Holding the very young in your lap, sitting snugly with an older child on the sofa, or just sitting on the corner of the bed reading aloud can be a warm and loving experience. A child feels happy and secure having his/her parent’s time and attention.
5. “Reading Readiness” – Children who are read to grow into readers. Reading aloud to your child from young makes him/her familiar with the sound and appearance of the printed word. Making this connection makes it highly possible for this child to develop into a confident reader from an earlier age.
6. “Imagination and Expression Booster” – Develops the imagination of an older child as he/she must picture the story, settings and characters in his mind. They as well as younger children learn how to express words by hearing you read.
7. “Life Skill” – You are giving them a life skill. Reading is essential in all functioning as a Muslim and a human being. Besides, it has also been said, every teacher and librarian you ever meet will thank you!¹
8. “Attention Span Grows” – Listening to stories will help learn to concentrate and develop your child’s attention span.
9. “Word Power” – Reading aloud helps to build vocabulary, develop expression and improve pronunciation of new words.
10. “Just Fun” – Yes, reading is fun, looking at the illustrations are too!

Article was taken from: Guide to Muslim Children's Books and Media