Why sharing
stories matters
and the benefits
of reading
"Exploring
different worlds,
characters
and scenarios
stimulates
a child’s
imagination
and develops
their empathy.”
Reading and sharing stories
has the power to improve
the wellbeing, engagement
and attainment of families.
Reading to children from
an early age can have
huge benefits, but fewer
than half of 0-2 year olds
are read to nearly every
day by their parents. As an
early years, care or health
practitioner, no matter
your setting, story time can
make a difference to both
the children and adults you
work with.
Given the frantic pace of life,
demands on parents’ time,
and competing priorities,
time dedicated to reading
together can often be
seen as a luxury or even
a chore. When combined
with a commonly held view
that reading is a skill to be
learned at school, instead of
a pleasure to enjoy during
leisure time, the importance
of sharing stories together
can be underestimated.
Why sharing stories
matters for children, adults
and families
Reading for pleasure was
found to be the most
important indicator of the
future success of a child
(OECD, 2002). It has a four
times greater impact on
academic success than
one parent having a degree
(Centre for Longitudinal
Studies 2013). In fact, no
matter where a child lives,
their family background,
or socio-economic status,
reading for pleasure opens
doors intellectually. It impacts
positively on education,
aspiration, opportunity, and
quality of life.
Children who read for
enjoyment are significantly
more likely to perform better
than their peers in school
(Sullivan and Brown, 2013). On
top of the obvious benefits to
literacy and language skills,
reading for pleasure has been
linked to higher performance
in maths and science (PISA,
OECD, 2011). Children who
enjoy reading are also
significantly less likely to have
mental health problems than
those who do not (National
Literacy Trust 2018).
Beyond the many benefits
of reading for children, their
grownups benefit too. Adults
who read for pleasure get a
greater sense of relaxation
from reading than watching
television or technology
intensive activities (Billington,
2015). Regular readers have
higher levels of self-esteem,
increased resilience when
facing difficult situations,
better sleeping patterns,
and even see a reduction
in symptoms of diagnosed
illnesses such as depression
and dementia
(Reading Agency).
Age UK even found that
adults who spend time
sharing stories with others
benefit from reduced
loneliness, increased mood,
and a greater connection with
loved ones.
The benefits of reading
for children, adults and
families
Encouraging a love of reading
is important so that both
adults and children can
experience the benefits. One
way to do this is by reading
to children. Reading to
children from when they’re
born to when they turn 5 can
expose them to 1.4 million
more words than children
who have not been read to
during this time. Reading
to children aged 0-5 is a
great way to increase one-on-one communication skills. Reading together can
introduce colours, shapes,
animals, letters and numbers
while building memory and
vocabulary skills.
Beyond this, dedicating
regular time to read together
shows children that their
grownups want to spend
time with them. On top of
fostering closeness with the adult, children see that
they are important enough
for their grownups to focus
only on them. As a chance
to bond, this quality time
together can improve family
and group dynamics and
increase communication.
Reading teaches children
about the world around
them. Exploring different
worlds, characters and
scenarios stimulates a child’s
imagination and develops
their empathy. Sharing this
experience as a family or
group enhances learning,
creating chances for people
to discuss ideas, beliefs and
ways of life that might be
different to what they know
and see around them.
Sharing books with specific
topics and themes is a way
adults can encourage children
to talk about something
that they may be struggling
with, helping parents and
caregivers to support
children’s wellbeing, at any
age (Booktrust).
Support for practitioners
So, now you know the huge range of benefits that reading and sharing stories has, how can you encourage families to develop a culture of reading for pleasure? The best way is to role model reading together with fun, engaging and replicable story times for families. In my second article in the upcoming summer issue of Aluminate magazine, you’ll find out how to develop storytelling sessions that help the families you work with.
This article was originally published in the Spring issue of Aluminate - CACHE Alumni's quarterly member magazine. If you'd like to read more articles like this, or want to read articles which may be more topical or current, become a member or sign in to access and download your copy of Aluminate now.