Reading with young children

Do you regularly take time to read aloud and tell stories with your child? Especially nowadays, when we are all rushed through the days, reading aloud becomes a wonderfully relaxing oasis of calm for young and old. Reading aloud means: cuddling together, paying attention, and for parents, shutting down for a moment. Even the youngest children soon look forward to reading aloud. And by the way, this feel-good time has proven to be invaluable for the mental and social development of your child: It promotes both imagination and language development. Scientists agree that reading aloud to children can already intensively promote later social and academic learning.

"Should I really read to my baby already? He doesn't even understand me yet!" You may have asked yourself this question at one time or another. The answer is yes! - Researchers have proven the tremendous benefits that babies as young as three months old derive from being read to. Babies recognize their parents' soothing voices and feel secure when they listen. Of course, it makes little sense to read the story of Pippi Longstocking to a one-year-old child. However, the book market already offers a large selection of illustrated books made of sturdy material for the youngest children.

The positive effects of reading aloud together are manifold:

• Pre-reading strengthens the personality: a recent study by Stiftung Lesen shows that even the youngest children are encouraged and strengthened in their development by reading aloud.
• Pre-reading deepens the relationship between parent and child. The time together is perceived by children as a safe, loving space and joyfully accepted.
• Pre-reading promotes language development. The vocabulary is intensively expanded when the child begins to speak, by looking at suitable books together and asking about them.
• Pre-reading supports social development. Listening, inquire, put themselves in characters helps to develop empathy.
• Pre-reading fires the imagination and has a positive effect on the development of creativity. The stories let gradually create their own images in the head. Children want to paint, build or invent their own little stories.
• Reading aloud imparts knowledge. Toddlers learn a lot about the world around them through the stories read aloud.
• Pre-reading prepares for a successful start to school. School time is still far away, but research has shown: children who have been read to from babyhood learn to read and write more easily.

To make reading time a feel-good time together, we have some tips for you:

The younger your child, the simpler the book should be. Most suitable for the very young are books made of cloth, thick cardboard or even plastic. The advantage of these books is that they are made more robust. They can also be touched and "read" by a small child without breaking right away.

For children 2 years and older, there is an abundance of classic children's books. In addition, the "Wimmelbücher" are very popular in this age group. These are large-format picture books without text with very many different discovery possibilities. Just browse through the bookstore and let yourself be inspired. You'll also get qualified advice at specialty stores. Or you can get tips online on the pages of Stiftung Lesen.