Why reading to children is important by Anna Peters and Cathy Shanks – Special to the garden island Reading aloud is one of the most valuable gifts you can give your children. You lay the foundation for their educational success.
Why reading to children is important
by Anna Peters and Cathy Shanks – Special to the garden island
Reading aloud is one of the most valuable gifts you can give your children. You lay the foundation for their educational success.
Reading aloud is a simple activity, however, here lies some of the keys to raising children who love and value reading and who grow up to become good readers and learners.
Reading creates a bond between the reader and the child, and expands the child’s attention span.
Reading improves the child’s listening comprehension, and exposes the child to rich vocabulary.
Reading helps develop the child’s language skills and exposes the child to good grammar.
Reading helps develop critical thinking skills and effective communication skills.
Reading stimulates the child’s imagination, creativity and curiosity.
Reading establishes the reading-writing connection.
Reading provides the child with a lot of background knowledge. The more a child is read to now, the more he/she will learn skills and techniques used in reading later.
Reading nurtures the child’s emotional development, raising his/her self esteem.
Reading is fun, providing the child with the pleasures of reading.
• Take the time
Read to your child every day. You and your child will enjoy yourselves so much that you may find yourself taking more time out to read to your child.
• Make it a routine
When reading is made a regular part of your child’s life, it becomes a habit. A quiet bed-time story will surely settle your child down for the night.
• Make reading time special
Pick a cozy spot where you can hold your child in your arms or on your lap. Let your child choose the books to be read. You and your child will enjoy the warmth and fun of reading books together.
• Some simple tips
Provide your child picture books with simple objects or faces, offer him books with soft, rough or bumpy textures to touch and feel (babies).
Let your child point to numbers, colors, letters and familiar objects; let your child turn the pages.
Discuss what is happening in the pictures, ask open-ended questions like: “What do you think will happen next?”
Add to what your child says, if she says “dog,” you can say “yes, the dog is little and brown.”
Give your child a paper and a crayon to draw, color or write freely and creatively. Have your child draw a picture or write a story relating to the book just being read. Talk to your child about what he just did, continue to praise and encourage him.
• It’s never too early to learn
Research shows that one of the most important activities to stimulate early brain development in the first few years of life is reading to your baby. Even when baby is in the womb, begin these important activities: talking, singing and reading with your baby.
Language development is the foundation for literacy and both are connected from infancy onward. Speaking, listening, reading and writing develops concurrently rather than sequentially (Ranweiler 2004). Children differ in their learning. Some pick up skills easily and quickly; others need more help and time. Children acquire language and literacy skills as they interact with others. They learn best when they can apply language and literacy learning to their everyday interest and activities; it is relevant and meaningful for them.
So pick a book today and read to your child.
For more ideas, information and resources on how to understand, help and enrich your child’s development, call Anna Peters, Kaua‘i Good Beginnings Coordinator at 632-2114 or Cathy Shanks, PATCH at 246-0622.
• This article is provided by the Kaua‘i Good Beginnings Council Public Awareness Committee comprised of: Phyllis Kunimura, Kaua‘i Independent Daycare Services School; Cathy Shanks, PATCH; Nancy Golden, Nana’s House; Margaret Smith, Healthy Start; Bridge Arume, Maureen Fodale and Anna Peters, Department of Education.
