Why do we share literature with kids?

This seems like a silly question because reading to kids comes very naturally for teachers. How sad that some parents don't read with their kids. Can you imagine NOT reading to your child? I'm going to give you a top ten list of reasons to read to children.

Top Ten Reasons to Read to Children

1. It is fun!!! Reading is a wonderful opportunity to snuggle up with your kiddo and bond.I think it's great when kids come to us and ask us to read to them. Reading is comforting and soothing, not just for your own kids but your students too. In my early years of teaching I had a mentor teacher who said, always have a book ready to read, because if your lesson didn't take as long, or the kids were extra excited because of an assembly or something, reading would bring them back to you.

2.It aides in language development and acquisition. Students who are read to have a broader vocabulary. The crucial development for language is birth to 5 years old. If students read or are read to 20 minutes a day, that would equal 3,600 minutes and 1,800,000 words per year. Compare that to the child that only reads 5 minutes a day. They would read 900 minutes and 282,000 words per year and generally score in the 50th percentile on standardized test. 

3. It develops empathy. Empathy means you know exactly how a person feels and is stronger than sympathy. Fiction books are a great resource to develop empathy. Empathy doesn't have to be something you experienced in real life, but can be an experience you read about, related to the characters.

4. It supports life long readers. If students love to read at an early age, it will probably be something they enjoy doing throughout their life. It could be series reading like "Magic Tree House" or "Little House" collection. It can also be serial reading. If they like an author or genre it gives them a starting point to find a book they will enjoy.

5. Reading autobiographically...reading a book about people like them. If they can't see themselves in a book they think they don't count. That is why it is important to have a diverse collection of books.

6. Vicarious experiences...looking at other people's experiences. For example, teens need edgy books  so that they can experience the consequences of actions, without actually going through with the experience. It can be any book though, it's just about looking at other people's experiences. If you have never been on an airplane and a character is going on an airplane, you can experience it through the book.

7. Philosophical speculation-Kids are heavy thinkers. They read books about big important topics (religion, slavery, politics) to form their own opinions on issues. Reading many different points of view will answer questions about everyday life.

8. Aesthetic experiences is just the joy and beauty of reading and the love of words.

9. Develops imagination-makes readers question "what would happen if..."

10. Transmits culture-Libraries need a diverse collection of books that shows other cultures and they need to be shared on a regular basis. For example, don't only read books about African Americans in February because it is black history month.