The evidence has become so overwhelming that social scientists consider reading aloud one of the most important indicators of a child’s prospects in life.
The Enchanted Hour*
Our family received knowledge, pleasure, common memories, and enhanced relationships from our years of reading aloud and listening to audio books. (See here.) Along the way I learned that we also received something else—changed brains.*
What were those changes? New neural connections in the brain, reinforced neural connections, and optimal patterns of brain development.
What were the results of those changes? The increase of social skills, attention span, language, and imagination to name a few.
The Enchanted Hour ‘s compilation of research—some of which I had read elsewhere or experienced with my sons—has compelled me to continue advocating reading aloud for all ages.
Reading aloud really is a kind of magic elixir.
The Enchanted Hour*
What are you advocating?
*The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon.
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