There is something almost spiritual when you are curled up reading to your child in the comfort and silence of their room. The charm and the sense of connectedness touch new heights in relationship and deepens the warmth and tenderness of the occasion. This is a time when a story carries you and your child into a new magical space. You share that space together and it is a happy memorable occasion filled with mystery, hope and wonder. Mindfulness would tell us that it is all about the moment. What a charmed moment to share and savour together.

There are significant advantages of reading to your children, in addition to the special family time.

Let us reflect on what are some of the advantages of reading to your child.

It’s a shared experience. How many of those occasions do you get in a busy day with your child?
Stories are built around a hope-filled message and together you get a chance to talk about all the life messages that are present in a story.
It is also a time to reinforce your values when you read stories that illustrate important concepts to you. This is not about being manipulative but rather affirming some of the messages that appear throughout the book.
This is a wonderful time for your child to talk about their feelings, fears, concerns etc. that may appear in some form in the story. Listen carefully as you will learn much from their interpretation of the story.
Reading a story to your child is a chance to feel free and capture the joy of the writing and the wonderful images that are present in children’s books. You too can rekindle the joy of children’s books for yourself which you may have long forgotten. It is not a duty to read to your child, it is a privileged moment, a time to rekindle your childhood. It’s about bringing back the magic.
Absorbing yourself in the literature with your child transcends both of you into the same magical space. How often does that happen when every day as an adult we deal with our own realities.
Reading all the positive outcomes of stories reminds us that happiness is worth pursuing. We live in a world where negativism can quickly rise to the surface, striking at the very heart of feeling happy. Reading children’s literature is full of joy and hope. We need a good dose of hope from time to time.

CS Lewis once said, ‘someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

What a wonderful opportunity to be immersed in fairy tales with your child. Long may the imagination in story live.

‘The journey of a life time starts with the turning of a page.’
Rachel Auders