A child that reads books can be transported to another time, become another person, and experience things that are impossible to experience in real life. Reading doesn’t come easy to all children.
According to the Michigan department of education, 10 to 15 per cent of children who have difficulties learning to read will drop out of school; only 2 per cent complete a four-year college program. If your child is showing signs of reading difficulty, you can intervene at an early age by reading to him every day. Early exposure to books and hearing the English language is the best way to help your child learn to read.
It’s important for parents to read to children starting at birth, or even in utero. Reading to children is important for helping children’s language skills.
Parents should read to young children because it encourages the development of language skills, and later helps reading and writing skills in children. Reading helps babies learn that there is a connection between the spoken word and the pictures in books.
Encourage Reading to Children From Birth
Parents should spend at least 30 minutes a day reading to and with their children. At first, babies only have an attention span long enough for a few words and pictures. As they grow older, it’s important to read longer stories and explain the pictures to them or read stories with familiar objects.
Parents should start reading to their babies at birth. Books with large, bright pictures work best at keeping the attention of newborns. Reading babies familiar books as they grow will help them to memorize these books, and eventually, they will be able to speak along with their parents as they read. Newborns love books that are chunky or fold-out books that can be propped up inside cribs. Cloth books also strike an interest in young infants.
Older Children Benefit Greatly From Being Read to Daily
As children grow older they will enjoy books that teach counting, the alphabet, shapes, and sizes. Reading to children as early as possible will help to ensure that they learn great reading skills, and also gives parents a nice relaxing period before bedtime to cuddle and talk with their children.
Toddlers ages 2 to 3 years enjoy books that tell simple stories, rhyming books that are easy to memorize, and any books that help them learn to count, say the alphabet, or teach shapes and sizes. Any books about animals, vehicles, or playtime catch the interest of most toddlers. Toddlers also love books about saying hello and goodbye!
It Is Important to Read to Children From Birth or Earlier
Parents can begin reading to babies in utero. Reading to children is important even this early. This helps them to become familiar with books so that they are able to recognize them after birth. Try to spend at least 30 minutes each day reading to a child.
As children grow older, books should become longer and parents should explain pictures in more detail. Books that encourage counting, alphabet, shapes, and sizes are great for older children. Reading at bedtime also contributes to a bond between parents and children.
Language Development
Being able to communicate is an important part of your child’s development. When speech is delayed or is not easy to understand, it becomes a barrier to learning other skills that are needed during that stage of development. Intervening during the early years by reading to a child will assist in the development of language skills.
When young children listen to their parents read to them, they may not understand what is being said but they become more familiar with what language sounds like. Babies and toddlers will be able to see pictures of objects that are in their world and have an opportunity to hear the words that go along with those objects, long before they are able to ask how to say these words.
Comprehension
Children whose parents read to them regularly have a better comprehension of the text. As parents read to their children, they spend time discussing the pictures, the actions of the characters, and the meaning of the text. This activity encourages children to ask questions and use inference while reading. These two high-level comprehension skills help children to understand the events in a story.
Vocabulary
Reading aloud to children helps build vocabulary and encourages language development, according to Reading Rockets. Children benefit more from reading with their parents if the children ask and answer questions, discuss the events as they unfold during the story, and make predictions about what will happen next. This approach allows children to listen to new vocabulary words and to practice using those words in speech, which builds their language skills.
School Preparedness
Reading intervention should take place before children hit school age. When you teach your child how to sit still and listen to a story, you are developing the most important skill he needs to succeed during his early childhood education. Reading to your baby or toddler trains him to sit still and listen when someone is talking to him.
It is hard for children to focus on lessons in school if they are still struggling to read the information that they are expected to learn. According to the Michigan Department of Education, 75 per cent of children who are poor readers and who are not helped prior to age 9, will continue to have reading difficulties through high school.
Setting a Routine
Children thrive by having a routine. Reading intervention should occur at the same time each day so that it becomes a routine and your child will be expecting it. Reading before bedtime will ease your child into a calm disposition and let her know it is time to go to sleep.
A Chance to Focus on Your Child
In order for reading intervention to be successful, a parent needs to know what specific skills the child is struggling with. Reading time is an opportunity for parents to focus on their children and put all of life’s distractions aside. Your child gets to be held close to you, and listen to your voice make soothing sounds and it becomes a great bonding time. This one-on-one time is a chance for you to make reading time a positive and helpful experience.
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