Books are so important in children’s lives. Reading exercises the brain in such a positive way.

The benefits of reading for children

Practice makes perfect in almost everything humans do, and reading is no exception. Reading also improves concentration in children. Children have to sit still and quietly so that they can focus on the story when they are reading. If they read often, they can gradually develop the skill to do this for longer periods of time.

One of the other wonderful benefits of reading with children is that reading teaches children about the world around them. When children read a variety of books they can learn about different people, places, animals and events outside of their own day-to-day experience.

Reading on a regular basis helps to vastly improve vocabulary and language skills in children. Children learn new words as they read. Subconsciously, they absorb information on how to structure sentences and how to use words and other language features effectively in their writing and speaking.

Reading also helps to develop a child’s imagination. As we read our brains translate the descriptions we read into pictures. As a child I would judge how good a book was by whether I could see the images in my head. While we are engaged in a story you are also imagining how a character is feeling. Young children then bring this knowledge into their everyday play.

Reading can be a great way to spend time together. Reading together on the sofa, bedtime stories or even siblings reading to each other is a lovely way to spend quality time together.

Children who read frequently tend to achieve better in school. Reading promotes achievement in all subjects, not just English. Children who are good readers tend to achieve better across the curriculum.

Personalised books

Not all children like to read, or even be read to. One way to get around this is to have a couple of personalised books. Reading a book where they are part of the story can be the hook you need to spark their interest in stories.

Of course, personalised stories are nice for all children. Our younger children love any story where they appear in the story. If you fancy trying one out with your child pop over and take a look at In The Book, they have a selection of gorgeous personalised books for children and also for adults.

We love their personalised pet dinosaur story. The illustrations are engaging, the story itself is well written and it’s just a lovely read. I think these books would make fantastic gifts for children. They have a range of Disney titles, as well as things like nursery rhymes and Peter Rabbit books.

What do your children enjoy reading? Have you ever tried them with a personalised book?