Importance of Early Reading

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

~ Dr Seuss, I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!

Reading aloud to your child together is the single most crucial action you can do to help them become successful readers. Give your story times a selection of books to choose from. Be constant and patient, then observe the magic happen.

A baby can look at pictures, hear your voice, and point to things on cardboard pages at just a few months of age. Before they ever become aware of the existence of printed words on a page, children learn to enjoy the sound of language. Children's imaginations are stimulated, and their worldviews are broadened when books are read aloud to them. It aids in their language and listening development as well as their understanding of written language.

It goes without saying that extracurricular activities outside of the classroom serve as a valuable complement. There are some things that parents can provide for their children at home that schools cannot. Inculcating the habit of reading is an activity that every parent must engage in, with their child.

Some of the major benefits of reading for children are:

1. Improved Language Skills

Every book has its own lexicon, whether you're reading about friends, animals or fantasies. Your child will encounter a seemingly limitless variety of genres and vibrant languages.

Compared to other kids, children who are read to, have much larger and more sophisticated vocabulary sets. This gives them a significant intellectual advantage and will enable them to function better in the classroom. When you read to your kids, they will hear appropriate grammar and sentence construction and will inevitably imitate it. They will not only use a larger vocabulary, but also talk clearly and correctly.

2. Better Cognitive Ability and Thinking Capacity

Reading fosters the growth of critical thinking abilities. Ask several questions regarding the story for a short period of time each day when your child reads aloud to you or when you read a story to them.

Ask them to make predictions, express opinions, discuss problems and offer forth potential solutions. Engage in imaginative play, and discuss alternative stories, and foster their creativity to create their own stories.

3. Parent-Child Interaction

After a long day of school, sports, homework and many other activities, reading is one sure way to slow down and make sure you are spending some quality, undisturbed time together. Because reading usually occurs in a quiet space, without distraction and involves only you and your child, it makes for perfect quality time.

4. Social, Emotional and moral skills

Nowadays, little learners pick up knowledge from the radio, the internet, computer programmes, and other media.

Additionally, they can learn a lot from reading books. Children who are read to regularly have a broad general knowledge and comprehension of their surroundings. They gain knowledge about various locations, people, events, and objects. Your children will discover a wide range of concepts and ideas, which will in turn lead to the development of holistic social, emotional and moral skills.

5. Inculcating a lifelong love for reading

One of the major advantages of reading is that it helps children develop good habits early on. Children who spend their childhood surrounded by books grow up to be voracious readers. Loving to read is like gaining the ability to be with a friend at all times!

So, what are you waiting for? Pick up that book and read to your little one, now!