Reading is much more than a pleasant way of spending free time. Including for children. Both when an adult reads them, but also when they navigate alone through the wonderful world of books, many connections take place in their brains. Reading stimulates attention, creativity, language, emotions, but also critical thinking.
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The beneficial effects of 15 minutes of reading together
It only takes an adult 15 minutes a day to change the way a child's brain develops, research shows. How? By reading them out loud. In English, experience is called shared learning. During the 15 minutes they listen to a story, language, imagination, attention and emotions are simultaneously activated in the minds of the little ones.
A large-scale analysis of first-grade students showed that just five weeks of interactive reading (with short explanations, simple questions, and retellings) produced a significant increase in children's expressive vocabulary. It has been shown that little ones don't just hear the words, they understand them, use them and then integrate them into their thinking and the way they express themselves.
The results of the studies are also confirmed by Roxana Andreea Rusu, psychopedagogue and former teacher. After interacting with children, he noticed how important reading is introduced early in their lives.
“When the family is aware of the role of reading and constantly offers stories adapted to the age, together with books suitable for the stage of development, the effects are coherently reflected at the cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional level. The differences become visible especially when entering the community, where children who benefited from a few minutes of reading every day are more sociable, more balanced, show sustained attention, a richer vocabulary and a better capacity for self-regulation. In contrast, the predominant exposure to screens, in the absence of authentic verbal interaction, does not support the same developmental processes, on the contrary”emphasizes the psychopedagogue.
One particular experience stuck in his mind:
“It is an experience from the time when I worked in an after-school and took care of primary school children. There were 11 children, and their mothers generally strove to provide them with the most harmonious and balanced environment for development, paying real attention to reading as well. They had a communication group and once a month organized a 30-minute meeting in the classroom to exchange children's books, which allowed them to diversify access to quality reading and at the same time optimize their costs. I supported and encouraged them. Over time, this cute initiative expanded, and mothers began to exchange personal development books or novels as well. I really admired them for their kindness, openness and involvement. It is a clear example that a healthy reading habit can be built in a simple, natural, collaborative and sustainable way, with the right people.”
The good news is that the positive effects occur no matter who chooses to read to the little one: the parent, grandparent, teacher, nanny or other adults who care for them. However, progress also depends on how the child is guided in understanding the texts that are read to him.
Roxana Andreea Rusu comes with recommendations in this regard:
,,My message to those who take into account this important aspect for the child is that they can act very simply, through open questions, clarifications, anticipations or reflections on the characters: >, >, >,
At the same time, say other specialists, when the adult emphasizes a word, explains it or asks the child to repeat it, new neural connections are formed in the child's brain. Basically, the language network is stimulated to grow. And at a young age, children absorb words like a sponge, connect ideas and create new connections with incredible speed.
Reading together also has the emotional context as a major advantage. The brain learns best when it feels safe. And in shared reading
the child not only listens to stories, but knows that he is seen, held close and listened to in turn.
What is the “Fitness for Children's Minds” campaign
The 15 minutes of reading together is also encouraged within the campaign “Fitness for children's minds”a large initiative dedicated to promoting reading and training the thinking of children in Romania.
,,The project brings together parents, teachers, grandparents and local communities, with the aim of integrating reading into children's daily routine and using it as a tool for developing intelligence, creativity and analytical skills”, say the organizers.
Activities that are easy to apply at home or in the classroom, weekly challenges and practical resources can be discovered at generatiasmart.ro/Fitnesspentruminte.
Reading, the best training for critical thinking
Individual reading has other important roles in children's neural development and fosters critical thinking.
When a child reads, he's not just going through a story: he's following a chain of choices, intentions, and consequences, understanding cause-and-effect, and that forces him to ask genuine questions. Basically, learn to think critically.
“Individual reading is an essential tool for training critical thinking because it requires analysis, reflection, hypothesis formulation and the ability to make connections”. Roxana Andreea Rusu also says.
However, the psychopedagogue draws attention to a very important aspect: for all the benefits to materialize, reading should not be perceived as an obligation.
“The student should read for pleasure, not obliged by a task he receives. Or this is the real challenge! To instill in him the pleasure of opening a book, beyond the curriculum. Especially since everything takes place in a context dominated by the accelerated dynamics of platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, which are the most successful among children. Reading trains cognitive patience and discernment. The child who reads constantly learns to distinguish between opinion and argument, between fact and interpretation, developing an internal structure for filtering information. From a psychopedagogical perspective, this sustained exercise of the mind becomes an indispensable form of mental hygiene in today's digital environment. Simply put, you cannot exclude the component of digital interactions and social networks from a child's life, but reading can help him acquire the cognitive foundation he needs for balance and critical thinking.”
“What we do as adults is very important to how our children relate to books”
In addition, reading also stimulates a host of other essentials for a healthier brain and emotional life:
,,Reading stimulates expressive and receptive vocabulary, empathy (by identifying with the characters), sustained concentration and cognitive flexibility. Over time, these repeated activations strengthen neural connections, contributing to a more stable and efficient cognitive architecture. The effects are lifelong.
All these elements can be seen in the child's behavior, and the fact that he can integrate more easily, that he is more empathetic and friendlier, that he can think more quickly, that he can make better and more inspired choices, not on impulse, ultimately matters the most.” points out Roxana Andreea Rusu.
Reading contributes to the development of essential skills for adapting to a complex and unpredictable world with a dizzying pace, she also says. “Habits formed in childhood become stable landmarks in adulthood: reading will remain a tool for balance, information and personal development over time. We work maybe 10 hours a day in front of screens, but we enjoy the moment when we get 20 minutes to read our favorite book, and this contributes to our physical and emotional health.” continue this.
The psychopedagogue also has a message for the adults in the children's lives:
“What we do as adults is very important for the way our children relate to books and reading. We blame them for nothing when they are 10-12 years old >. If we haven't bought them books by this stage, they haven't noticed us reading, there are no books in our house and we've given them the screen instead of our time and attention. That's why I take this opportunity to pass it on to new parents and grandparents: in addition to clothes, toys, sweets and other gifts, be sure to give the children, on every occasion, a book as well”.
