This weekend’s New York TImes had a sweet and thoughtful piece about reading aloud. Just a little reminder to fight the ever present pull toward the solitary plugged in life. Reading aloud to your children allows for them to create their own imagery, to hear the cadence and beauty of language, while at the same time having an intimate experience with you. You are associating reading closeness and comfort. This instills a love of literature and language into your child’s body and mind. Verlyn Klinkenborg’s piece also reminds us that grown ups can do this with each other as well. A simple message but such a good one.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/opinion/16sat4.html
Dear Jean and Lisa,
I am so touched by this post. Being read to as a child was so wonderful and reminds me of such great memories of my youth. I love reading with my girl, Sarah, and hopefully she will read to her children. It is a wonderful gift to pass on through the generations.
Jennifer
It’s also wonderful to have your older child read to you! I read ALL the Harry Potters aloud to my youngest child (even though she read the later ones on her own, too). At 14, she decided to read the last 2 HPs back to me aloud so I’d be ready for the new movie this summer. (She was horrified at how many details I had forgotten!).