Communicating story and how it affects a child's development and literacy

A young man enjoys the book "Ess-Car-Go!" and tries to read the story himself while waiting his turn to give the aunties a book to read.

You know them. You love them.  The ones who are angling for a spot on your knee and good story. Yep. The Children. 
Reading from an early age is a big part of cognitive development, and a common piece of the history of those who achieve academic success. Do I mean that if your little Einstein can't read his own book at age 3 he will fail in the future? No! I mean that if you sit down with him and read, even as early as the toddler stages, it will have immense future benefits. 
Don't take my word for it, here's a link to one study right here:
doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723001381
A link to an article that references the paper linked above can be found here on the Cambridge University website.
www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/reading-for-pleasure-early-in-childhood-linked-to-better-cognitive-performance-and-mental-wellbeing
So when you finish reading my blog, please check out those links.
Many studies have been done and found the following points to be true as regards reading to small children:

• introduces children to new words and phrases increasing their vocabulary and comprehension
• introduces children to sentence structures and ways of expressing ideas
• develops crucial listening skills, not just limited to paying attention to a story but to the rhythm and flow of language
• cognitive understanding of how stories work (beginning, middle and end)
• even when listening and looking at pictures, the children are beginning to understand letter recognition
• prepares children for learning to read independently and builds a strong foundation for future literacy
• stimulates brain development and strengthens connections between brain cells and supporting cognitive skills like memory and problem solving
• exposes children to new ideas, places and characters, which fosters imagination and creativity
• when reading, prompts to children such as "what do you think happened next?" promotes critical thinking and problem solving
• helps develop an awareness of emotions and perspectives, helping children develop empathy and compassion
• parent with child reading time, helps strengthen bonds between children and parents as it creates focal points for interaction in today's busy world
• parent with child reading time helps to establish the parent as a trusted source of information or confidante and helps establish regular communication channels with your child that will be useful when they hit the terrible teens
• as they age and stories become more complex, children can learn important social skills like communication, cooperation and conflict resolution
• opens channels for curiousity and can develop an excitement for gaining knowledge and learning
• establishes reading as a calming and relaxing activity, which helps children with another coping mechanism to reduce their stress and promote a sense of well-being
• Academic effects are enhanced vocabulary and comprehension, memory and problem solving, critical thinking, communication, conflict resolution and enmity

Bedtime reading has further benefits. Screen time can become problematic. Screens emit blue light. blue light suppresses the production of melatonin, a naturally occurring hormone that regulates sleep. Turning off screens and focusing on a bedtime reading routine creates a way to unwind and decompress from screen time.
Excessive screen time has also been linked to anxiety, depression and mental health issues, lead to social isolation, impair emotional  comprehension, and may affect attention span, creativity or problem solving skills.
Reading is the communication of story, which for generations has been the teaching tool for elders to pass knowledge to the next generation. Make reading a part of your story and that of your children.

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