Why Reading to Your Children is an Expression of Love

As parents, we are always trying to find ways to express our love to our children. We all express that love differently in the form of holding them close, using our words to express our love, buying gifts, and taking them to places they love. In fact, everything we do for our children, despite our feelings, emotions, comfort, and energy levels, is a unique expression of love. But have you ever considered simply reading to your child as an expression of love? When you think of expressing love, it may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it’s a genuinely positive and magical way to express your love to your children.

Children love to be read to

Thinking back to your childhood, you may have memories of reading with mom, dad, loved ones, or teachers. You loved that book your mother read to you over and over. As you know now, as a parent yourself, she probably didn’t want to read it that 5th or 6th time in a row when she had a dozen things on her to-do list.

We know without a doubt that children love being read to. With babies, they’re always handing you the book or asking for you to read it again and again. As they get older, they ask for “just one more” book at bedtime. It’s a beautiful way to spend time with your child, allowing them to explore the photos and words on the pages, sit close, and indeed be present with each other. While we, as adults, may not think of reading to our kids as an expression of love, it’s clear that our children appreciate it when we express our love for them in this way.

Encourages healthy development

Often the way we express our love comes in ensuring that our children are healthy, developing as expected, and prepared for the future. Any child expert will tell you that reading to your children, even when they’re sweet babies who can’t understand what you’re saying, is beneficial to set them up for the rest of their lives.

Instilling a love of reading, spending time bonding, and helping them to develop language and reading skills are all significant benefits of reading. Children who are read to are also more likely to be reading at an early age. Putting aside some time in our busy lives to sit with our kids and read, make them feel happy and truly enjoyed, and help develop their cognitive and communication skills is the ultimate expression of love.