Reading is an essential skill and helping your child learn how to read from an early age is vital for his or her future development. Other than providing an enjoyable bonding experience for both of you, teaching your child the joys of reading as early as possible also comes with a host of benefits.
Here are some of the reasons why it is important for you to introduce reading to your child in their early years:
It inculcates a love of learning.
Child development experts agree that the attitudes children take to learning are developed at a young age. One of the best ways of ensuring that your child develops a curious mind, eager to learn about the world is by reading to them. Start out with a few bedtime stories, picture books or colouring ones and you will ignite a life-long passion for learning in your child.
It provides educational advantages.
Encouraging your child to take up reading as a hobby from an early age can lead to academic success. Children who learn to read at an early age have greater concentration and improved attention spans than their classmates. They also have better comprehension and can take in more of what is taught in school.
It helps improve their linguistic and communication skills.
Children who learn to read at a young age have richer and more expansive vocabularies than their peers. They are also more likely to have correct spelling and improved grammar. These skills allow them to communicate effectively since they can describe their observations and experiences quite well.
It ignites their creativity and imagination.
Exposing your child to a vast range of stories from an early age helps ignite their creativity and imagination. A good book allows children to lose themselves in places and situations they might never have encountered before, teaching them to look at the world from a different perspective. This skill can come in handy when solving problems in later life.
Developing your child’s reading ability
If you want to get your child interested in books at a young age, you have to set a good example. Children often copy their parents so ensure you are a voracious reader yourself and they will follow you.
Additionally, select age-appropriate books to avoid frustrating your child. For instance, Bad Angus The Cat & The Fox is the perfect picture book story to read to young children. You can also use it with children who are learning to read for themselves. Very young children will show more interest in books with colourful pictures while those who are just learning to read for themselves will prefer books with short, simple sentences and legible fonts. You can increase the books’ complexity as your children grow.
Technology can also help your child to improve their reading. Mobile devices such as e-readers allow your child to have access to a wide variety of books. This increases the likelihood of finding something they will enjoy delving into.
Making reading a daily and fun part of your family life will ensure that your children pick up the habit and carry on with it throughout their lives.
Great article! I always aim to read to my little ones and they are picking up words from the books we read already. This Bad Angus book sounds good we will take a look!
Thanks!
I quite agree with this, although I have found that my girls are more open to reading than my little man.
I find it also really helps their development and their teachers have even commented on how well they are doing with reading time in class.
Good article, we have a 4 year old and a 6 year old and we try to make time to read with them everyday. I think it definitely helps to set a routine and stick to it.
In general I think kids’ books these days are a lot more interesting and varied than what I read when I was growing up, you can definitely tell it helps to spark their imagination!!
Either my husband or I have read to pur children every night since they were babies. As they got older they started to join in by turning the pages, commenting on pictures and both could retell their favourite stories. Now 4 and 5 years old they are both excellent readers, well above their expected reading ability for age. I am sure the early and consistent introduction to books has played a huge part in this.