Pediatricians say sharing books with children is the best holiday gift of all

A book can inspire joy and stir the imagination. Even better this holiday season is the gift of sharing that book with your child.

Turning the pages of a high-quality, print book filled with colorful pictures and rich, expressive language is best. While touchscreens and other electronic devices may be popular, they are typically passive or solitary experiences for children and do not offer the same benefits of interactivity and relationship building.

Starting from infancy, reading aloud helps build the foundation for healthy social-emotional, cognitive, language and literacy development. Sharing books helps with language development and vocabulary, and gets them ready to listen and learn in school. And over the past decade, research has found that reading together helps foster positive interactions, strengthening the safe, stable and nurturing relationships young children must have to thrive.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading to your child every day, even if only for a few minutes, and making it part of the bedtime routine. Each evening, set aside 20 to 30 minutes with screens off for sharing books.

Remember that the experience should be fun. You don’t have to finish a story if your child loses interest. Let your child choose the book, even if it means reading the same book over and over. You can invite your child to “read” to you from a familiar book that they have memorized.

Ask about the illustrations or what your child thinks will happen next. You can say, “Can you find all the blue things?” or “Show me all the things that can fly.” Point out colors, shapes, numbers and letters and respond with enthusiasm to your child’s questions and comments.

Local libraries offer a wide variety of children’s literature, including fairy tales, poetry and nursery rhymes, as well as nonfiction books on subjects children love, such as the ocean or dogs. Follow your child’s interests in choosing books. Children’s librarians can help you with high-quality book selections on a wide range of topics. And during the holidays, consider building your home library and reinforcing the value of great books by giving them as gifts.

By age 4, a child can typically tell you which books they want to share with you, pretend to read a favorite book aloud to you, and tell you how a story is like things they have seen or done. They may ask you questions about books you are enjoying together or “correct” you if you skip a word or page in a favorite book.

As children grow older, reading can help develop character and values that are important to your family. In fact, a really great book has the power to counterbalance negative outside influences and teach children important lessons as they grow.

It might be a book on kindness after your child experienced or witnessed cruelty. It might be a book on expressing emotions after your child saw or heard scary news coverage, or maybe a book on understanding differences after your child saw someone who looked different than they expected.

Books are great conversation starters. They are also just a lot of fun and can help create wonderful memories, particularly during the holidays when you’re spending extra time together. A shared reading experience, as a tender, magical and loving time spent with your child, is truly a gift. It speaks to the heart of what parenting is.

The AAP and Reach Out and Read have compiled a list of books—organized by age and topic—to help you raise children who are aware of the world around them, curious, brave, kind and thoughtful.

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