Something that should be one of the greatest pleasures for parents is to encourage their children’s fantasy and imagination. Whether through games, stories made up on the spot or remembered from their own childhood, or through reading. Reading to children plays a fundamental role in child development, as it brings great improvement in learning, better pronunciation of words, as well as developing creativity in a healthy way and acquiring culture.

Wise are the parents who “gain” a few minutes with their children, at whatever time, to offer and encourage this pleasure for their children. Through reading, it is possible to show children a new world, new ideas, and provide new knowledge. Children who are used to listening to stories from when they are babies tend to be more interested in books and even have more interest and ease when it comes to literacy. There is no right age to start reading to children — in fact, the earlier you start, the greater the benefits will be for your little one. At reading time, let your inner child speak louder, and use your imagination to bring the story’s characters to life, use emotion. This is one of the best tactics to capture the attention of little ones and further activate their imagination — for sure, they will imitate the dialogues in a fun way.

You don’t need to spend an entire day or an entire afternoon reading all the books your child chooses. Of course, if you do have the time and willingness, it will be one of the most rewarding afternoons of your life. But 20 minutes of your day is ideal to provide this unique moment that will certainly be a step towards nurturing this pleasure. When they learn to read by themselves, they will have the pleasure of choosing their own books and maybe even switch from being the listener to being the reader.

What should be a general habit, encouraged everywhere and in all aspects related to children’s education, has lost some space with the arrival of electronics that attract more of children’s attention and end up giving parents a bit more peace. But this is something that cannot be allowed to die, no matter what phase or era we live in. That’s why schools are increasingly developing reading projects, opening up their libraries and renewing their collections to attract more children to reading.

For these projects to succeed, parents need to work together with teachers. Encourage interest, have family reading circles, and follow along with every book your child brings home. This way, you’ll discover what kind of stories they like to listen to and what subjects interest them most. When you see a book on that subject, you’ll know your child would like to read it — who knows, maybe even give it as a gift?

Children’s Book Suggestions

Each age has a different reading focus, and each child is interested in a particular kind of story. Some like funny stories, others prefer adventures, and there are those who love listening to fairy tales, especially those with lots of witches and fairies. So, see what kind of themes your children are interested in or let them choose what attracts them most among the thousands of options in a library. Here are some suggestions for children’s books most sought after by kids:

  • O elefante xadrez – Alvaro Cardoso Gomes
  • O Coelho Sem cartola – Ana Cristina Silva Abreu
  • A galinha que botava batatas – Simone Pedersen
  • A bruxinha e o dragão – Jean-Claude R. Alphen
  • Marcelo, marmelo, martelo – Ruth Rocha
  • Alice no Pais das maravilhas – Lewis Carroll
  • O menino maluquinho – Ziraldo
  • Romeu e Julieta – Ruth Rocha
  • Alecrim – Rosa Amanda Strausz
  • Tenho medo mas dou um jeito – Ruth Rocha e Dora Lorch

There are millions of children’s reading options: books with short or long stories, with many or few pictures. Some with lots of text, others with lots of images to spur the imagination. All you have to do is start reading to your children to find out which one is their favorite. Enjoy this moment and plant the seed for good habits in your children — happy reading!

See also: Reading for Children – Tips

Photos: Chris_Parfitt, Sarah Altendorf