7 Important Benefits of Reading for Kids

2020 created havoc in our lives, didn’t it? Well, including relaxing the mind, there are other benefits of reading for kids.

In 2020, my kids started school … finally! My nine year old entered 4th grade and my 4 year old entered VPK.

For several years I’d daydreamed about what my first week with both kids in school would be like. I’d expected to have both kids going to brick and mortar school. I’d shuttle them to school, go home, and catch up on rest. After the first week when I was completely bored, I’d start catching up on the deep cleaning and purging of all the things we’ve accumulated and no longer need.

But, the return to school in 2020 didn’t look anything like I had played out in my head!

Back to school in 2020 resulted in virtual school for the oldest. My son went to brick and mortar VPK 3 days a week. Since I also work from home part time, there’s no catching up on rest or getting any deep cleaning or purging done.

The extent of my break came in the form of help around the house from a family member a few hours once a week. And while she was instrumental in helping with my sanity one day, there was still a lot going on. So much, in fact, that we were relying on screens to help us deal with many of our problems.

But too much screen time is bad for kids, and I speak from personal experience. I’ve seen my kids sleep suffer from too much screen time and their behaviors and attitudes change with screen time adjustments.

So, I want to make reading with my children (or their own reading times) more of a priority. But, what are the actual benefits of reading for children?

This post is sponsored by Bookroo. As always, opinions, and ideas expressed here are entirely my own.

7 Benefits of Reading for Children

1. Relieves Stress and Calms the Body

“Recent studies by Mindlab International at Sussex University shows that reading for as little as six minutes a day can reduce the heart rate and stress levels by 60% or more. ” (Quote from the article How Reading Relieves Stress in Children)

Who couldn’t agree that we could all use some extra stress relief these days?

Even Bookroo is seeing that need and is sharing their message to Keep Calm & Read On.

2. Reading is Good for the Brain

Reading is good exercise for the brain! Aside from stress relief, reading benefits your brain in the way of mental stimulation and enhanced vocabulary, just to name a few.

The American Academy of Pediatricians has said, “reading regularly with young children stimulates optimal patterns of brain development, strengthens parent-child relationships at a critical time in child development, which, in turn, builds language, literacy, and social-emotional skills that last a lifetime.”

3. Kids Who Read Do Better at School

Imagine all the things you couldn’t accomplish if you couldn’t read!

That’s why reading is important and getting kids interested in books early on sets them up for a better future.

While your child may be more interested in science or math, what good is that interest without the ability to read instructions for completing a science experiment or to answer a mathematical word problem?

4. Reading Often Improves Reading Skill

You’ve heard practice makes progress, right?

Well, the saying is true, even for reading!

The more time your children spend with books, the more their reading improves.

5. Reading Improves Concentration

Does your child have a short attention span or trouble concentrating? Having them read can re-train their brains and improve concentration skills!

6. Reading Develops Imagination

I have always thought of books as seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. But, just as easily, books open the door to the possibilities of other worlds.

It’s one of the reasons I’ve always liked more science fiction and fantasy so that I could imagine the wild characters described within some of my favorite books.

Reading new books can help build or improve upon a child’s imagination, and this is great to help with creativity!

7. Reading is Fun

As much as parents want our children to learn and become better, we can’t forget that reading is, and should be, a good form of entertainment!

Don’t forget to make reading more fun to keep kids interested in books so that they can reap the benefits of reading!

Keep Calm & Read On

Well, it sounds as though we could all benefit by doing some more reading!

What’s holding you back from incorporating new books into your child’s reading routine?

I’ve got three things keeping us from obtaining new books regularly:

• Inability to visit the library often
• Lack of time to research new books for kids
• Not wanting to borrow digital books – looking to reduce screen time

Well, Bookroo helps provide benefits of reading for children while making my life as a parent easier!

They deliver age-appropriate books for kids aged 0 – 10, monthly.

It’s easy to remember some of the classics and to pass those on to our children, but Bookroo seeks out “hidden gems” from new books to help curate and build our childrens’ at home library.

The best part is that I select the age-appropriate book club, choose the subscription length, and Bookroo does the rest. Great books arrive at home leaving me and my children to sit down together just to reap those rewards of reading!

DISCOUNT: Join Bookroo using code BOOKS2LOVE to receive 15% off your order!

If you liked learning about the benefits of reading for children and want to stay informed about other relevant content for parents, don’t forget to join my newsletter.

This post originally appeared Sept 202, but has been updated to include a new discount code for Bookroo.