Why Reading to Kids Matters – Even From Day One

There’s something pretty special about sitting down with a child and sharing a book.

Whether it’s a colourful board book with a baby, the same favourite story for the hundredth time with a toddler, or a chapter book with an older child, reading together is about so much more than learning to read.

It helps children discover new words, use their imagination, understand the world around them and, perhaps most importantly, creates time to simply slow down and connect.

📚 Why books are such a big part of Kidstuff

If you've visited us in-store, you'll probably know we have a lot of books!

That's very deliberate.

Dorothy spends hours looking through what's available and choosing books for Kidstuff, from first books for babies and toddlers through to picture books, activity books, educational titles and books for older kids and pre-teens.

We also make a real effort to stock New Zealand authors and beautifully illustrated books wherever we can. We love having stories that Kiwi kids can relate to — from much-loved classics by Joy Cowley to Peter Hill's farm stories, featuring the animals, machinery and rural life that will be familiar to many New Zealand children.

There's something pretty special about children recognising places, animals, words and experiences from their own world in the books they're reading.

Of course, not every great book has to be educational. Sometimes the best books are simply the ones that make kids laugh, get requested every night or have everyone joining in with the silly bits!

That's really what Dorothy is looking for when she's choosing books for the shop: books children will actually want to pick up. Books that make them laugh, teach them something interesting, spark their imagination, encourage curiosity or become that favourite bedtime story that has to be read again... and again... and again.

It's all part of the same approach we take when choosing what goes onto our shelves at Kidstuff. We want to offer families a carefully selected range rather than simply filling the shop with products.

Because after 25 years of helping families choose things for their children, we've learnt that sometimes the simplest things can have the biggest impact.

And sitting down together with a good book is a pretty lovely place to start.

So, just what is happening when we sit down and read with a child?

📖 Reading starts long before children can read

You don’t need to wait until your child can understand a story to start reading together.

Babies love hearing familiar voices, looking at faces, colours and pictures, and eventually reaching out to touch and turn the pages themselves.

As they grow into toddlers, books introduce them to new words and ideas. They begin pointing to pictures, recognising familiar objects and joining in with favourite parts of stories.

Before long, you might find that they know their favourite book so well that they'll happily “read” it back to you!

💡 Did you know?

Research into early reading has found some pretty amazing things.

Reading just one book a day can add up to around 290,000 extra words heard by the time a child turns five, compared with a child who is rarely read to.

And those early years matter. A huge amount of brain development happens during the first five years of life, with everyday experiences helping children develop language, communication, imagination and social and emotional skills.

It doesn't need to be complicated either.

Even 10 minutes of reading together each day can become a lovely little routine.

❤️ It’s about connection, too

One of our favourite things about books is that their benefits aren't only educational.

Reading together means putting everything else aside for a few minutes and sharing something.

And it certainly doesn't have to be Mum or Dad doing the reading!

Grandparents, older siblings, aunties, uncles and other special people in a child's life can all make reading part of the relationship they have with them.

A favourite book at Grandma's house can become one of those little childhood memories that sticks around for years.

📖 Don't be too quick to move on from picture books

Once children begin learning to read independently, it's tempting to think they've “outgrown” picture books.

They haven't!

Picture books can introduce children to interesting vocabulary, humour, emotions and ideas that are much more complex than the words they may currently be able to read themselves.

Looking at the illustrations and talking about what's happening also encourages children to predict, question and tell stories of their own.

And there's nothing wrong with continuing to read to children once they can read independently. Sometimes it's lovely just to enjoy a good story together without turning it into reading practice.

🌙 Making reading part of everyday life

Reading doesn't have to mean sitting down for a formal lesson.

Keep books somewhere children can reach them. Let them choose what they want to read — even when it's the same book night after night! Talk about the pictures, make silly voices, ask what they think might happen next and let little ones turn the pages.

Most importantly, try to keep it enjoyable.

Some children will happily sit through several stories. Others will last three minutes before they're off doing something else. That's okay.

A few enjoyable minutes with a book is far more valuable than turning reading into something that feels like a chore.

❤️ Our top tip

Don't worry about making reading perfect.

Just make it regular, make it fun and let your child lead the way.

Even ten minutes together is time well spent. ❤️