Why Should I Participate?
Why Me?
The latest research indicates that kids who grow up with warm, nurturing, and actively involved fathers:
- do better in school.
- have higher self esteem.
- build better relationships with other kids.
- develop healthier ideas of how they should behave as adults.
- grow into more successful adults.
You can have a powerful impact on your children’s success in school. According to a study by the U.S. Department of Education, when fathers took an active role in their children’s education (like attending school meetings, volunteering in school), the kids were more likely to make A’s, participate in activities like sports and clubs, and enjoy school, and they were less likely to repeat a grade.
What’s so great about reading?
Your child’s potential for success in school starts long before he or she walks into a classroom. An easy activity that you can do with your young child—which is consistently linked with better school performance—is reading.
Parents who read to their children regularly tend to bring up children who are superior readers and who do better in school.
Why is reading so good for kids? Educators believe that reading and storytelling:
- stimulate children’s imaginations.
- enhance their vocabularies.
- introduce them to components of stories (characters, plot, action, and sequence).
- help them learn about the world around them.
It is also an activity that is very child-centered and creates warm and positive interaction between parents and children.
Isn’t reading a “mom” thing?
Reading with your kids is a great opportunity to interact with them in a positive way, while helping them grow intellectually and socially.
Moms may be the ones who typically read to kids, but dads are just as capable of being part of this important activity. When dads make a conscious decision to read to their children on a regular basis, they contribute to their children’s future I a way that few others can.
When dads read aloud to their kids, they have a chance to:
- enhance their children’s literacy skills.
- spend quality time together.
- communicate about a variety of topics.
- strengthen the father-child relationship.
Your children benefit when they see you—not just mom—taking an interest in reading. If you start the habit of reading with you children every day, they will be excited about spending this time with you!
So, be a hero!
Dad, don’t underestimate the important contributions you make to your children’s lives. Read with your children on a regular basis, and they will reap benefits that last a lifetime! Be a hero!
