Reading During Trying Times

Reading During At Home Learn Spring 2020

Nancy reading on the Playground during summer leraning camp

Reading During Trying Times
by Jessica Appel, School Librarian

Routines have been paused, canceled, and redesigned during these last several months.  During times of change, holding on to routines can help us feel stable.  The list of reasons to read aloud to children is long: improving vocabulary, building connections between the spoken and written word, exploring new ideas and information, and reading to learn. But the biggest benefit of reading aloud to your child right now is that is one part of life that hasn’t been affected by social distancing. A book, a reader, and a listener can still be close enough together to enjoy this pre-COVID habit.

Reading to children is a bonding ritual. For young children, the sound and feeling of the reader's voice, watching the reader’s expressions and body language, pointing at words on the page, and making gestures along with a story give children a sensory experience that activates their brain synapses into creating memories and cementing knowledge. At home, you can still experience this.  As children grow, though the type of books changes and the interactions change,  listening to an audiobook or reading the same book is a shared experience that they still enjoy.  Ask your older child what they think about a book and they will be thrilled to tell you! Let them choose what you read together giving them some control over that choice during a time when they’ve lost so many day-to-day choices.

Reading to children provides a way to explore emotions. Nothing in my childhood experience compares to what children are experiencing now.  No matter what you’re reading together, you can ask your child questions that help them name and navigate feelings.  There are many ways to place your personal perspective into a story and talk about the emotions that result. You might be reading a story that has nothing to do with a pandemic but it helps you discover that your child has emotions in the present that they are able to articulate through the story.

Reading to children presents life experiences in a controlled, even experimental,  environment that you can share and discuss. Children can experience so many things through the pages of books: things they wonder about, things they need to learn, and things they’ve never even imagined. During times of crisis, it’s sometimes necessary to escape, and there’s no safer place to do that than with a loved grown-up and a good book. You know your child best, and so if reading about something that is like what is happening now will help them bring understanding to their life, you can do that together. If escaping into a fantasy world is ideal, you can do that too. 

Reading about favorite activities, future plans, or travels is a great way to look forward with anticipation and hope. Find books about what you do once we are mask free and able to travel, visit, and interact with people again. Read and make plans for the future.

Whatever support your child needs, you’ll likely find a book to meet it. But what’s most important during trying times is holding on to the routines that give comfort and predictability. Reading aloud is a perfect way to do both.