The Importance Of Reading To Children

1. Literacy is the ability to use available symbol systems that are fundamental to learning and teaching, for the purposes of comprehending and composing, for the purposes of making and communicating meaning and knowledge. –

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/defining-literacy

2. Reading to your baby helps build vocabulary, stimulates imagination, and improves communication skills. Reading to your baby introduces her to the concepts of stories, numbers, letters, colors, and shapes, and gives her information about the world around her. -http://www.babycenter.com/0_reading-to-your-baby_368.bc#articlesection2

3. Young children also need to see their parents and other family members reading. Seeing their parents’ value reading in this way sends children the message that reading is an important activity. It is crucial that children see their parents use reading for a variety of purposes, from entertainment to maintaining a job. Parents should show children the many ways that they use reading. –

http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/literacy-development-begins-at-home.htm

4. Other ways to help develop reading habits are by making reading material easily available, having reading activities planned, and acknowledging the child’s progress and success.

-http://www.prokerala.com/kids/activities/teach-children-to-read.php

5. TV viewing takes away time from reading and improving reading skills through practice. Kids watching cartoons and entertainment television during pre-school years have poorer pre-reading skills at age 5. Also, kids who watch entertainment TV are also less likely to read books and other print media. -http://www.raisesmartkid.com/all-ages/1-articles/13-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-tv-on-your-kid

6. Repeated reading helps children become familiar with the vocabulary, repeated themes, and the language in the story. You can use repeated story readings to help children understand, talk about, and be part of the story.

-http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellpract_pract/presch/p_group/reading_print_grp.pdf

7. Reading aloud to children is the easiest and most effective way to prepare a child for school. This stimulates language and literacy skills. Reading to your child builds their vocabulary and gives them a mastery of language. It is also proven that children who are more exposed to books will go further in education achievement. Reading to children builds family relationships, and children learn to love books and reading. Children learn how to handle stress and new experiences from books. Stories are a great way to help children transition from one milestone to another or to handle a stressful situation.

-http://www.childrenswishingwell.org/5-benefits-of-reading-to-children/

8. Marching, stamping, clapping, chanting, and dancing to a variety of musical rhythms involves children in the patterning of music, which helps to lay a foundation for the different patterning’s of speech and reading, along with an appreciation of different rhythms and patterns.