Why Your Kid Should Be a Bookworm

If you’re reading this blog, you’re already confessing your literary tendencies. Whether you’re chasing the next best thriller, learning from a history or nature book, or absorbing thoughtful literary fiction, you are a Bas Bleu customer because (at least in part) you love books. As Bluestockings ourselves, we can relate: There’s a particular pleasure that comes with exercising and expanding our minds. We know that most avid readers will pass on this predilection to their children…But why is that so important?

It may seem like common sense, but reading has been proven to support children’s cognitive development, language skills, concentration, and imagination. It helps prepare them for success academically, forms unique bonds (think reading time!), and sets them up to love reading long-term.

Reading with children regularly is a wonderful practice and leads to constructive discussion. Reading aloud helps guide language development, and bridging the gap between their book and their world has incredible cognitive benefits. This exercise doesn’t have to feel like homework, either! Kids are naturally curious. Give them space to ask questions. And when book talk meanders into talk about their own lives, they may learn to empathize, to be curious, and to form more complex connections.

With curiosity comes imagination. Cultivate this wherever you can during reading time! Ask little ones to imagine people or places they’ve never met/experienced, and guide them through a diverse collection of books. Challenge their questions with questions of your own (“Why doesn’t our dog talk?” “She talks to us in her own ways. But if she could talk, what do you think she would say?”). Imaginative children are more likely to be imaginative adults. They’re better problem-solvers and they have the courage to dream big.

Budding bookworms are the leaders of tomorrow, and instilling a love of reading is one job a bibliophilic parent (or grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.) will relish!

Looking to fill your children’s bookshelves? Browse our comprehensive collection here.