Reading to children daily is one of the best ways to set them up for success in reading and indeed life. It is in fact the first step in teaching children how to read.
One of the world's leading reading experts, Marie Clay, said that children need to have had at least 1,000 books read to them before beginning school and starting to learn how to read by themselves.
Reading to young children helps develop pre-literacy skills which lay the groundwork for reading and writing ability later in life. Children learn that words and storytelling are important and they start to make connections between the words on the page and the words they are hearing read or spoken. Often young children begin to imitate reading by "rereading" the story that they have heard their parents reading in their books, turning page by page mimicking the story they have heard by looking at the pictures.
Reading gives children a broader vocabulary and an expanded understanding of all the ways language is used to communicate and convey ideas. Research shows that children who are read to from an early age have a richer vocabulary and know more words than children who are not often read to. Having a large bank of words greatly assists children's early reading skills and has the additional benefit of making them appear more intelligent.
A child's natural inquisitiveness can be activated when being read to by a parent. In reading both fiction and nonfiction books, children's minds and imaginations are opened up to exciting adventures and new worlds of information, encouraging them to ask questions and learn more. Through regularly listening to stories, children learn to focus, pay attention and process information. Once they begin to read themselves, there are still great benefits to be gained from continuing to read out loud to children, discussing the story or information and developing new vocabulary.
Children who have listened to stories regularly are better prepared to begin school and are ready to read, write and learn. Not only does reading to children help them do well in the early grades, but it also sets the stage for ongoing success in school and life. Every subject area in school requires extensive reading and comprehension skills. Literacy skills are essential to lifelong academic success.
Just 10 - 20 minutes a day reading to your child can have a huge impact on their learning and provide profound benefits that will last a lifetime.
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