Is Reading a Book Just Reading a Book?
Books!
We’ve shared a few messages now about books-reading aloud with your child, building a home library, using conversation to develop language….
All of those benefits seem to only affect early literacy skills. Right? Don’t judge a book by its cover:)
All of those simple, loving interactions are also creating strong bonds between you and your child. Research shows that the most important factor in a child’s ability to grow and flourish is a stable, strong relationship with an adult. The times you spend book sharing give your child one-on-one time, space to talk, and YOU.
Bonding with your child goes much deeper than just spending time together. When you are book sharing, you are talking and listening, laughing and using silly voices. You are asking questions and wondering with your child. You are deepening your relationship.
That relationship is vital to the development of social and emotional competence, one of the protective factors in the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework. The Protective Factors Framework was developed to help families build resilient children who thrive.
The Five Protective Factors are the foundation of the Strengthening Families Approach: 1) parental resilience, 2) social connections, 3) concrete supports, 4) knowledge of parenting and child development, and 5) social and emotional competence of children.
Research studies support the common-sense notion that when these Protective Factors are well established in a family, the likelihood of child abuse and neglect diminishes. Research shows that these protective factors are also “promotive” factors that build family strengths and a family environment that promotes optimal child and youth development.
Reading daily with your child not only strengthens your child’s vocabulary and knowledge about the world, it also creates opportunities for bonding. There’s nothing more important.
When your next Imagination Library book arrives, remember, even though it may only seem that you are reading a book, you are doing so much more!
Happy Reading!
Lisa Davis, Early Literacy Coordinator
Resources
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month:
- If you’d like more information about reading to your children to create a bonding experience, visit: https://preventchildabuse.org/resources/reading-to-your-children/
- For more information from Prevent Child Abuse NC, please read this article on the Five Protective Factors:https://www.preventchildabusenc.org/resource-hub/protective-factors/
- For more information about the importance of parent engagement to ensure child success in school, visit: https://gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010.pdf