Having talked quite a bit about how good books are, I thought I should probably back it up with a little theory!
For me, there are really two main parts to this, but they're linked in pretty major ways. The first is the literacy side, which describes the language side of learning ( I want to apologise that I'm not talking about people who struggle with processing words because of conditions such as dyslexia here, it is something I don't know enough about yet and need to read up on!) . Reading and writing all start with hearing and understanding language, which is why it is so important to read to children from a young age. The more words we hear and learn, the more we can understand, the easier it is to begin to write and structure sentences and eventually stories.
Once a child understands that a book contains words, you might even find them 'reading' to themselves in made up words or ones that make no sense! Our youngest would often be found 'reading' a small book about scarves that I'd been given for Christmas! The important thing was that she'd discovered there was a meaning to the strange symbols inside and that they might tell a story (it's usually easier for a child to understand a story with lots of pictures, but she's always liked to do things her own way!). The more our girls have become comfortable with language, the more they like to read for themselves. We have a very 'book rich' house, which is my way of saying that I own way too many books and struggle to get rid of any because they might come in useful or I am too sentimental (not something I am often accused of!). But it does mean that at any time, the girls can pick up a book to look at. These aren't even all story books or even all children's books. One of their all time favourite book to look at is a very huge, outdated history book given to us by a much loved family member. We have never even read this book to them, but they love the pictures and know it is about the 'old days'. I guess this is an advantage of books over the old kindle/ipad, there is a difference between the texture, size and 'feel' of a book.
This kind of leads on to my next point which is that books trigger all kinds of emotions. Infact studies have shown that when you read to even a small baby, although they might not understand the words, they associate the act of it with the closeness with you. So reading becomes a happy place, a good memory of closeness and this means that when they begin to understand the language, it is linked to positive emotions, which makes it easier to learn (I told you they were related!).
But stronger still is the emotional connection that we can have with the stories themselves. Often we have stories which we like to read time and again, reading something familiar can help us in uncertain times and even help us to express emotions we need to feel (I used to always be found reading 'little women' when I just needed to have a cry!). There is a psychological process called 'projection' where we 'project' our emotions and feelings onto something or someone else. This can be helpful or unhelpful depending on how we use it, but books and stories can help us use this in a positive, even healing way. Therapists now use story telling to help us understand what has happened or how we have reacted in a certain way. It is easier to think about how a character would react and then reflect it back on yourself because it can create a bit of distance. It can also be a very healing process to write/tell your own story and look back and see all the small moments is it that we often miss or forget about.
People have been quoted for years saying how good it can be to loose yourself in a book, but actually we can use books to help us step back. they are a places where we can let out or feel our emotions in a positive way and then come back to our starting point with a new perspective.
I hope my homage to books has inspired you to go and dig out an old favourite or even discover a new one! Best to put the kettle on first, you cant read a book without a decent cuppa (but that's a whole other blog to write...!!)
Fran
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