Advantages for Reading with Children

7th April 2021

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may get a tiny commission if you purchase through the link

I’ve read with my son every night for the last nine years since he was a few months old.

It’s recognised that there’s many benefits to reading with children, from improving their reading, writing and their emotional intelligence.

Education Specialist and Author, Pat Guy, has recently published a great book to read with children, called Olivia and The Proverbs.

She has kindly offered to share her professional thoughts on the advantages of reading with children;

The Advantages of Reading with Your Kids, According to Pat Guy

Children who read, or are read to, have the best possible start in life.

One of the many advantages a young reader has, is an exposure to new, unusual or complex words.

There’s known to be a direct link between the size of a child’s vocabulary and their success in life.

Effective communication plays a vital role in supporting children’s well-being.

A good vocabulary will enable a child to express themselves clearly, and to better understand the nuances of social interaction. 

Boys reading a book on the grass together.

Different genre of books introduce different kinds of vocabulary.

A book about railways will introduce the reader to technical words.

A book about Norman castles will introduce the reader to subject specific words.

Fiction for young children will introduce emotional vocabulary and the language of communication and social interaction.  

Some stories of human interaction are uplifting and amusing: such stories will leave their readers smiling.

Olivia & The Proverbs

Olivia and the Proverbs falls into this category as it explores intergenerational friendships: the pleasure that the older generation feel in the company of the younger generation, and the lessons that can be learnt from such relationships.

The proverbs in the Olivia stories can summarise the insights that can be taken from each chapter.

The adult can use these proverbs to direct the child’s attention to the underlying message, or simply read the story for fun!

  • Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 
    Olivia loves Biscuit, not because he is beautiful, clever or physically agile, but because of his other attributes. He’s loyal, has unconditional love and is happy to be himself. 
    Beauty is only skin deep.
  • Good things come to those who wait. 
    In this story, Olivia learns that not everything can always go your way, but if you’re patient, things often turn out better than you thought. 
    Patience is a virtue.
  • Every cloud has a silver lining. 
    Blossom, Olivia and Mabel are all feeling a bit down, but rather than sit and mope, they decide on a plan of action. They do something to make themselves feel happier. 
    We are masters of our own destiny. 

You can buy Pat Guy’s new book ‘Olivia and the Proverbs’ on Amazon in paperback or Kindle edition. 

olivia and the Proverbs book cover

Book Giveaway (ends 22/4/21)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends 22/04/2021.

Entries are verified before a winner is selected at random.

Email addresses are required to contact winners and will not be used for anything else, or passed on without permission.

Your contact details will not be stored by Single Parent Pessimist after the competition’s ended.

UK residents only, aged 18 or over.

It’s the sole responsibility of Pat Guy to provide a prize to the winner and NOT Single Parent Pessimist.

No payment was received for this post
All opinions are honest and my own.

24 Comments

  • Phil Read

    7th April 2021 at 12:29 pm

    Mr Men books are always popular.

  • Claire Driver

    7th April 2021 at 6:47 pm

    I read to my children every night, my youngest still likes a picture book or a chapter book. The eldest the school for good and evil series

  • Chris Andrews

    7th April 2021 at 7:04 pm

    What do you enjoy reading with your children? . . . they currently love the Mr Men series

  • Emma Wolski

    7th April 2021 at 8:15 pm

    Mr Men and David Walliams in our house!

  • Sally Collingwood

    8th April 2021 at 10:15 am

    David Walliams books are our favourite!

  • Laura Pritchard

    8th April 2021 at 7:40 pm

    We love the Julia Donaldson books!

  • John Taggart

    9th April 2021 at 9:58 am

    The Mr Men Books

  • Laura

    9th April 2021 at 11:33 am

    We enjoy reading Julia Donaldson to our children.

  • Sarah Wray

    9th April 2021 at 4:30 pm

    My favourite books to read to my class of Nursery children are ‘Eat Your Peas’, by Kes Gray and On the Way Home
    by Jill Murphy

  • Eva Lorraine Appleby

    9th April 2021 at 10:28 pm

    David Walliams books are always fun

  • Michelle o’neill

    10th April 2021 at 5:21 am

    love to read the books i read as a child, such as The magic faraway tree and charlottes web

  • Andrew Ingold

    10th April 2021 at 9:40 am

    Paddington bear books

  • claire woods

    10th April 2021 at 8:19 pm

    Funny books.

  • Rich Tyler

    11th April 2021 at 10:52 am

    Mine love stickman

  • Amy Bondoc

    11th April 2021 at 12:41 pm

    we lvoe Mr Men Books!

  • sallie burrows

    12th April 2021 at 8:45 pm

    little people ,big dreams

  • Ruth Harwood

    13th April 2021 at 8:37 am

    The kids and I love reading anything we can get our hands on, from picture books they can learn to read too to chapters of the hobbit or famous five etc! xx

  • Tammy Angus

    18th April 2021 at 1:59 pm

    Julia Donaldson

  • Eileen Hindley

    19th April 2021 at 3:13 pm

    David Walliams books 🙂

  • Susan B

    20th April 2021 at 4:49 am

    The youngest enjoys everything with pictures but especially appreciates a short story.

  • Sheri Darby

    20th April 2021 at 5:40 pm

    Winnie The Pooh is always our favourite

  • Patricia Barrett

    21st April 2021 at 5:27 pm

    We love reading book series like Harry Potter together.

  • Adrian Bold

    21st April 2021 at 6:32 pm

    We’re loving all the great David Walliams books.

  • Joyce W

    21st April 2021 at 7:45 pm

    We love Julia Donaldson – our favourite is Tyrannosaurus Drip

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