Reading To Your Child



It cannot be over stated that reading to children from the time they are born gives them an early and needed start to a successful and meaningful life.



Reading to your child is simple and all it takes is for a parent to decide to dedicate at least twenty minutes a day and read aloud to the child.  You do not need to be the best reader and you do not need to be a scholar.  You just need to read to your child.



Children whose parents read with them learn to read early and well….. It is that simple!  Reading to your child from birth literally wires brain cells together in networks that later facilitate independent reading.  Brain research shows that those linked brain cells enable a child to:



• Detect the different sounds in words (phonemic awareness)

• Recognize letters and develop strategies to figure out new words (decoding)

• Develop real-world understanding of what the words refer to (create contexts for understanding meaning)

• Build an oral and listening vocabulary (approximately 5,000 words by kindergarten)
   

Reading together every day builds strong minds and strong relationships. Your child, snuggling in your lap, and enjoying your attention and laughter, is learning to love reading.   As long as it is a happy experience there is no wrong way to read together.  



Reading aloud is practically free, you can do it anywhere, and children often beg for "just one more" story.   Even parents who are not fluent readers can provide a good experience for their children by telling stories from their lives, from their imaginations, or from picture books.


Children who read succeed, in school and in life.   The simple act of enjoying books together every day from birth through elementary school establishes essential reading skills while building warm relationships. 

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The reading skills you nurture in your child are priceless and you would be largely rewarded as the child succeeds in life.