During National Reading Month let’s not forget mental health benefits
Of all the benefits and importance of early reading, let’s not forget mental health
It’s something to keep in mind, particularly this month because March is National Reading Month.We can look to stacks of data that show early reading helps lead to igher academic scores, better jobs and stronger relationships.
But health experts also note reading’s impact on mental health.
Virginia-based author and clinical therapist, Robert Taibbi, in an article in Psychology Today, listed five reasons why reading is good for children’s mental health:
1.) Reading boosts self esteemBy reading to your child, you help them associate reading with something pleasurable they can carry into their lives.
2.) Reading teaches empathyThere are stories abut everything your child may encounter – being bullied or left out, struggling with a disability, or a parents’ divorce.
3.) Reading helps make sense of the worldReading helps children learn how the world – and the people in it work and why people react the way they do to certain problems.
4.) Reading increases attention spanThe reading process engages children differently than watching a video. Reading slows down the world a bit and ignites imagination.
5.) Reading increases children’s vocabulary, and their ability to process their emotionsResearch shows that children who struggle with reading are prone to internalizing their emotions. Reading increases a child’s vocabulary and by learning new words, they have tools to think and process, to see beyond one-sided black and white.
All of that seems spot on and are key reasons why the Early Learning Coalition of Brevard is so focused on getting children on the Space Coast reading early.
But let’s not forget the advantages to adults’ mental health when it comes to reading to children. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that us older folks would benefit from reading to children?
Kristina Talbot, who operates the Melbourne-based A.R.I.S.E. Mental Health Consulting Services, said there are multiple intangible benefits that come along with reading to your child “outside of the neurological developmental aspects that research has supported.”
“Creating healthy attachments for both children and adults is important to our mental health and relationship skill development,” she said. “By engaging with a child in this simple action, we are supporting a connection not only for them, but also for ourselves as loving adults. It is not just children who need human connection, we as adults also need opportunities to build and strengthen connections through healthy avenues such as reading to a child with whom there is a shared comfort level.”
Talbot also noted that because technology has consumed so much of our time and attention, it is important to recognize that our body’s need for human contact and human interactions is still there.
“Reading to child in our lives is one of many ways to help us slow down in a way that our bodies still need and can have a calming impact so that we are more regulated to manage the demands and stressors we face,” Talbott said.Talk about a win-win.
Please keep all this in mind, particularly this month.
Reading is the key that will unlock their world and make you, as adults, feel a little bit better about things also.
Laura Gambino is executive director of the Early Learning Coalition of Brevard. It has offices in Melbourne and Rockledge.To learn more about the organization go to www.elcbrevard.org or call 321-637-1800
link
