The Importance of Reading and Problem Solving For Kids

There are many ways to bond with your child while also helping them grow – going on field trips to a museum or park, watching movies or TV series together, and, of course, reading!

Reading and having fun with activity books helps kids open up their minds to new worlds and new ways of thinking, while also stimulating their creativity and interest in the world around them.

Reading and mathematics – the two most fundamental skills for early and advanced education – get an early headstart in children who read (or listen to stories) and solve puzzles in activity books.

Let’s take a look at some of these benefits in more depth.

Benefits of Reading for Your Child

Most of us know that reading is essential for children, but why?

For one, it helps develop their language abilities – this applies whether they’re reading on their own or you’re reading to them. Vocabulary and grammar improve as they read or hear more words and grow to understand how they’re linked together to form sentences and paragraphs.

If you read out loud to your child or children, their ability to visualize will grow, too. Storybooks, in general, will spark the imagination.

One study showed that children exposed to home reading had greater activation in an area of the brain that has to do with “multisensory integration”. They were able to put together sights, sounds, etc., to create a full picture of things and learn more rapidly.

“Multi-sensory integration” – https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/08/05/peds.2015-0359?sid=5b1e0b71-9369-4d5e-923b-8a304e346b35

Benefits of Activity Books for Your Child

Some activity books – those with mazes or word scrambles, for example – help your child to think spatially, which will develop their reasoning and problem-solving abilities.

To solve the problems in activity books, children must employ logical skills and “think outside the box.”

Coloring also requires kids to learn about shapes and visualize how their pictures may or may not look when completed. Remember how tough it could be to stay inside the lines at times?

Wrapping Up

Besides learning benefits, your child reading or you reading to them can help calm them down when anxious or help them fall asleep at night. Activity books are great for this, too, as they require some “mental exercise”, which will help your child “tucker out”.

Overall, there’s no reason not to expose your child to reading and activity books from a young age – these can only be a positive experience for them, boosting the skills they need to be successful in life and sparking interest in a variety of subjects.

One study showed that the number of parents reading to their young children is dropping – we want to help turn this trend around and prepare our kids for the future by bringing that sense of excitement back to reading!

“Number of parents reading to their young children is dropping” – https://www.nielsen.com/eu/en/press-releases/2015/nielsen-book-releases-its-2015-understanding-the-childrens-and-young-adult-consumer-report/

At Your Book Den, we offer a range of reading and activity books for kids – from our large selection; you’re sure to find something your child will be interested in. Happy reading!

 

SOURCES:

“Multi-sensory integration” – https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/08/05/peds.2015-0359?sid=5b1e0b71-9369-4d5e-923b-8a304e346b35

 

“Number of parents reading to their young children is dropping” – https://www.nielsen.com/eu/en/press-releases/2015/nielsen-book-releases-its-2015-understanding-the-childrens-and-young-adult-consumer-report/