from our Modern Basement Playroom Project
If you’ve been following along for a while now, you’ll know that I am a huge believer in the importance of reading to and with kids when they are little. A book wall is included in nearly every room we’ve designed and lots of posts about great books have been written on this blog. I’ve even shown you how to create your own book wall (it’s super easy, tag me on Instagram with #WDstyle if you try it out)!
But why is it important?
Kids are exposed to more words:
A study released last year showed that parents who read on average of five books a day to their kids from birth to 5 years old, expose them to “over a million more words” than parents who don’t. A MILLION!!!
They don’t need to be complex books either…board books are a perfect place to start. I can’t help but think about how much better a toddler’s communication might be with more words at their disposal to explain their own emotions!
Reading together promotes closeness:
Whether it’s with their siblings or curled on your lap, reading in the early years promotes actually being close to someone else. In our newest playroom project, we worked with California Closets to design a custom book wall that houses 100s of books for our little clients and it was an absolute dream come true. It also provides the perfect spot to curl up on one of the giant floor cushions and look at books together.
Reading exposes kids to new topics and different ways of thinking
No parent can be an expert on all things and books are the perfect way to expose kids to topics that you may not know a lot about. Through books, kids can learn about people and places across the world or about the details of how to do something they know nothing about.
Reading can strengthen emotional intelligence
Books written from different characters perspectives allow children to learn how to think outside of themselves. Whether from the point of view of an ant or from a child in another country, reading books from a variety of perspectives allows kids the opportunity to think about life ‘in another pair of shoes’.
Reading together is fun!
Do your kids love reading as much as ours? “Mom, puh-lease can you read just one more book?” can be heard in our house nearly every night. Kids love the pictures and when presented in a positive and light way, even learning to read can be a lot of fun! As a parent of three kids in two years, I found reading books to offer a quick way to turn fussy little toddlers around too. A stack of books and a giant cuddle in a cozy corner of the couch has often helped transform three cranky kids into three quiet kids and a peaceful break for me (win-win I say!).
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