How many of us parents take time out or busy schedule to read to our young kids? I'm talking preschool age and earlier. If you're like me, it is extremely hard to make time for reading to my kid. Between work, school, and my business I am just exhausted by the end of the day. Nevertheless, it is crucial for children to have books in their hands at a young age.
I remember when my son was little, maybe 2 years old, he would bring me 6 or 7 books to read to him at bed time. I remember almost dreading it, but he loved it. His favorite book was "Llama Llama Misses Mama" because he had just began a preschool class and was having some major separation anxiety. I probably read that book one hundred times in that first year of school. I think he was able to relate to Llama Llama and understand that his feelings were valid. That is not what this post is about though. I want to share some benefits with you on how reading to your young child can positively influence your Child's future education.
One of the assessment questions for children beginning a preschool program is for them to be handed a book and to open to a page. You may think this is an easy task but unfortunately a lot of kids can't do it. Why? Well, mainly because they have never been read to or shown how to properly handle a book. They do not know what the front is, the title, or a lot of times if the book is upside down. When we read to our children we give them a head start on literacy, vocabulary, and language development.
When children are read to at a young age they can:
* Hold a book correctly
* Turn pages correctly
* Recognize letters and numbers
Benefits from being read to at a young age:
* Promotes brain development
* Develops an expanded language
* Promotes cognitive development
* Enhances creativity and imagination
Reading to young children helps them in many ways and as they become older. They have already been exposed to a wide variety of vocabulary, diversity, and backgrounds. It aids in social skills, language skills and sets them up for academic success.
Other ideas to help your child's education is use "dialogic reading". This is when you ask your child what they think will happen next, what they think should have happened, or how would they have ended the story.
Add comment
Comments