In an increasingly digital and complex world, many of us are constantly managing screen time and seeking to ensure our children are safe online. While technology brings many benefits, one of the simplest and most powerful ways parents can support their child’s learning requires no device at all. Simply picking up a book and reading together.
Reading to your child is one of the most effective ways to build strong foundations for lifelong learning. It develops essential language skills, strengthens focus and memory, expands vocabulary, and nurtures imagination. Educational research consistently affirms what many parents instinctively know: children who are regularly read to experience significant gains in literacy across all ages and stages.
A landmark study from Ohio State University found that children who are read five books a day before the age of five enter school having heard approximately 1.4 million more words than their peers who were not read to regularly. Researchers have described this as “the word gap”. A striking reminder that consistent reading in the early years has lasting impact.
Beyond academics, reading accelerates brain development, builds emotional intelligence as children encounter different characters and experiences, and fosters a lifelong love of learning. It creates moments of closeness, conversation and curiosity that cannot be replicated by a screen.
Professor Teresa Cremin, Professor of Education (Literacy) at The Open University highlights the power or fostering pleasure in reading. “Reading for pleasure has a wealth of benefits, positively impacting wellbeing, cognitive development, reading comprehension, vocabulary and writing. Children who enjoy reading gain a means of relaxation, a chance to escape everyday worries or challenges, and a source of entertainment. In terms of social and emotional wellbeing, reading supports children to develop empathy and consider different perspectives”
Professor Cremin offers seven practical steps that teachers and parents can take to make reading aloud a really valuable experience in her article Reading aloud to children: 7 steps to making it magical .
As a Christian community, we are also reminded of the biblical call to intentionally teach and disciple our children. We know that building biblical literacy for our children ensures they are able to continue to read, understand and cultivate a love of reading God’s Scriptures, that they may delight in His Word. In Deuteronomy 6:6–7 we read:
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Mrs Ruth Cooper
Head of Junior School