Bibliotherapy: How Books can Help Your Child

It is well known that children benefit academically from reading books. Schools require children to build

reading skills very early on. However, even beyond the academic reasons for reading books, children can also experience other amazing benefits. The benefits can be experienced when children read books to themselves as well as when others read books to them.

3 BENEFITS OF BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

1. Improves children’s ability to manage potentially stressful life events

Some children’s books are written specifically about experiences that children might find difficult, such as going to the dentist or having divorced parents. Reading these types of books to children can help them to feel more comfortable with the situation and can prepare them for what they are experiencing or what they will experience.

2. Increases feelings recognition and management

As children develop, they learn about emotions (their own and other people’s). In order to grown into a healthy, well-balanced adult, children must learn how to recognize what emotions they have, what emotions others have, how emotions are experienced, and what to do about them or how to behave in response to an emotion. To do this, books can teach important skills that will help them learn appropriate behaviours for different emotions as well as to be more aware and accepting of feelings in general.

3. Enhances relationships

When parents read books to their children, the bond between them increases. Reading allows for a time when both parent and child can relax, connect with one another, and be in a moment in which they do not have to worry about the demands of everyday life. Reading can also enhance a relationship between siblings. For instance, an older sibling can read to their younger sibling which can create a positive bond between them.