Teaching Children A Love For Reading
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Teaching Children A Love For Reading
Many decades of research reveal that children develop learning behaviors at a very young age from their exposure to books and other written materials. Parents who read to their children are teaching the rhythm of the language that aids with speech and word recognition, and children that are read to will speak more clearly than their peers of the same age. A love for reading books will begin from the point in time when books are introduced even if the child is an infant. Educators claim that children can even hear music and their mother’s voice in vitro. This explains why a baby will seek his mother’s face immediately after birth because her voice is familiar.
Words on the page are associated with the illustrations in age-appropriate books that are read together with the child. Instead of meaningless letters arranged in a pattern, early word recognition is tied to the pictures on the page. Inserting the child’s name, along with those of their friends and siblings, will draw the child’s interest and make them want to read even more often. When a child hears her own name, she will remember more details from the story.
Choosing one book over another can be an overwhelming task for the young reader. Some children will stay with one story until they can recite it from memory, which becomes a great game with any adult who will listen. Pictures on the page assist with the memory triggers that enhance study habits during school. Parents can shape the child’s interest by reading many other types of materials aloud to the child.
A reading environment in the home is created by following some basic practices that make books available at all times:
• Many books that are appropriate for the child’s age should be kept in a place where they can sit and read without assistance. Wide variety will make reading interesting, so the child grows interested in the new material.
• Daily time to read together will develop interest in very young children. Encourage them to read along and interject words.
• Time in the car can be made to pass more quickly when each child has some fun books to read. When waiting for an appointment, have a book on hand for the adult and the child to read independently.
• Work with the schoolteacher to find good books that will keep each child interested throughout their school years. As they have life experiences, books can enhance their understanding of new topics.
• Young siblings love to spend time with their older brothers and sisters while reading a book together. Both children will learn new words as they explore new books.
When parents embrace a child’s natural curiosity about life, a foundation for reading is built from a very early age. Seeing their parents read, instead of watching television, is a great way to challenge a child to reach for a book as a great way to fill time. Reading and speech are essential for success in life, and mastery-level language skills begin with a love for books.
Submitted by Guest Blogger, Dan Gilbert, on behalf of Primrose Schools. Educational, quality day care services from Primrose are committed to furthering each child’s development and learning, and they encourage all families to read together more often to promote early literacy. Dan has written a number of articles on topics varying from bilingual learning to teaching the importance of volunteering.
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