Before Teaching Phonics, Every Parent Should Read to Their Child , Here’s Why

Before Teaching Phonics, Every Parent Should Read to Their Child — Here’s Why

Every parent, every mother, every father — please take a moment and really hear this:

Before you jump into phonics charts and spelling rules, read aloud with your child.

Not just to teach words, but to connect with heart and mind.

Let me tell you about a small story from my home.

One evening, Aravh and I were reading a story about a crow. Suddenly, I remembered something from my own childhood. I told him how, when I was around five years old, a crow once pecked my lips while I was eating snacks outside with my cousins after school. It started bleeding, and all my cousins came running to help me as if it was a very big emergency and took me to my mom.

As I shared this, Aravh’s eyes became wide. Then we both burst into laughter imagining little me, scared and surrounded by cousins. He asked questions. I added more details. That was a giggled session.

That was not a reading session.

That was a real connection moment.

This is what reading does.

When you read together, it is not just words in a book; it is time spent holding attention, sharing experiences, laughing at characters, and answering curious questions and so on.

Shared reading nurtures emotional connection and associations with comfort and safety. Researchers say that when reading is experienced as a warm, nurturing activity, children are more likely to develop a lifelong love for reading and feel close to their caregiver (parents).

This emotional connection helps your child feel secure and valued, which is the foundation of confidence, curiosity, and courage.

🧠 Shared Reading Sets a Strong Foundation for Language and Thinking

Scientific studies show that when parents read aloud naturally at home, it predicts later language comprehension, vocabulary growth, and motivation to read — even when other factors like socioeconomic background are taken into account.

Books expose children to rich language — new words, complex sentences, and ideas they might never hear in everyday talk. This builds a deeper understanding of language that helps with conversations, thinking, and later academic reading and comprehension skills.

🧠 Reading Together Enhances Social-Emotional Skills

Stories give children a safe way to explore feelings, friendships, fears, and challenges. Through characters, they learn empathy, patience, and understanding — essential skills for life beyond school (I practicall see that in my teen daughter).

Shared reading improves social-emotional development and even helps reduce stress.

🎓 It Truly Helps Academics — In Big Ways

Listening to stories and conversations about them helps children develop:

Larger vocabulary

Better listening comprehension

Stronger memory

Focus and attention

Knowledge about the world

Research demonstrates that reading aloud prepares children for complex thinking and supports academic success when they start school.

This also means that when you later begin phonics lessons, your child already has a meaningful language context to understand the sounds, patterns, and words.

✨ A Gentle Thought for You

Reading with your child is not a task.

It is a gift you give with your presence.

You do not need perfect books or perfect pronunciation. You just need to be there — calm, present, and loving.

Open the story. Turn the page.

Share experiences. Laugh. Pause.

Let those moments be more important than correct reading.

Because the connection you nurture now gives your child emotional confidence, social understanding, and a deep love for learning that phonics, worksheets, or tests can never give alone.

Sangeetha Ramasamy

Founder - Klariti Learning Innovations Pvt Ltd.