If you want to find out the effects of not reading to your child then read on.
The benefits of reading cannot be overestimated or overemphasized, more so, reading to your child at the early stages of development.
If you really want to give your child a head start in life, reading to them has proven to be key to achieving that.
As important as reading to your child might be, many parents do not do so consistently.
In some cases, the parents do not continue to read to their children through primary education, or in worse situations, they do not read to their children at all.
Not reading to your child might create problems for the child later in life, even when they become adults.
There are several reports that urge parents to continue reading to their children throughout their primary education.
A study revealed that 44% of 1000 parents of kids from 6 to 11 years of age involved in a poll admitted to rarely reading with their kids after their 7th birthday.
A child already does quite a lot of reading in the classroom, but it is a controlled environment so it cannot be compared to when the child reads for pleasure at home.
Most kids develop a real interest in reading at home, and it all comes down to how much effort parents put into reading to, and with their child.
The home is a far more neutral and comfortable environment to help a child develop solid reading skills until it becomes second nature.
The effects of not reading to your child are quite easy to guess, but for the sake of parents who need to be encouraged to do so, it is important to outline them.
Poor reading skills
Not reading to your child can actually lead to poor reading skills.
The idea of reading to your child is to help them develop an interest in reading- which can be achieved by reading their favorite stories to them.
The child can grow up thinking reading is a chore or an activity that is not enjoyable.
Poor literature and vocabulary skills
Reading improves a child’s vocabulary and literacy skills, but without support from the parent by way of reading to them, they might have a slow development in these areas.
If you do not read to your child, you may have deprived them of having the opportunity to learn how to pronounce some words that might seem complex.
Lack of imagination and empathy
You might be depriving your child of developing empathy and imagination by not reading to them.
Kids tend to develop these at an early age by becoming familiar with the characters in their storybooks.
Even if they might eventually develop empathy and imagination, they may not develop at the same level as a child who’s parent reads to them.
Lack of bonding
Reading to your child is great for bonding.
If you do not read to your child you may be missing out on a great opportunity to build a solid bond between you and your child.