As everyone knows, the benefits of reading to children are HUGE. This interesting article supports that fact:
"Every parent of a young child should resolve to do one simple thing in 2009 that can change his or her life – read to the child every day. Reading to young children is proven to be the single most important thing a parent can do to ensure his child's success in school. Not only does reading improve children's language development — the strongest predictor of school success — it also brings parents and children closer together.
Yet, a study conducted for Reach Out and Read shows that fewer than half of American parents read to their children daily. Young children who are not read to are at the highest risk of reading below grade level once they begin school. More than a third of American children start kindergarten without the basic literacy skills they need to learn to read."
A young child who had been read to is much more likely to want to continue to read on their own. The more books they are exposed to and the greater variety of books they read will help them gain a desire to read on their own. Making the transition from reading daily to a child to getting them to continue to read daily can be a challenge. I think it is wonderful if parents continue to read to their older children as well, either in the car while traveling or in other settings. The trick is to get the child hooked on books so that they will be motivated to continue to read. Children are much more likely to read if they see their parents reading magazines, newspapers or books themselves. Our example speaks volumes to our children in this area as well as many other ways. Reading increases their vocabulary, verbal skills, writing and spelling skills and awareness of what is going on in the world around them.
Good ole Harry Potter has helped in this regard. The series got children into reading who wouldn't have been interested otherwise. But the cool thing is that there are so many other series and other books that are just as interesting and fun to read as Harry. Every library has book lists for each reading level and type of book sought - such as mysteries or adventures for example.
"Every parent of a young child should resolve to do one simple thing in 2009 that can change his or her life – read to the child every day. Reading to young children is proven to be the single most important thing a parent can do to ensure his child's success in school. Not only does reading improve children's language development — the strongest predictor of school success — it also brings parents and children closer together.
Yet, a study conducted for Reach Out and Read shows that fewer than half of American parents read to their children daily. Young children who are not read to are at the highest risk of reading below grade level once they begin school. More than a third of American children start kindergarten without the basic literacy skills they need to learn to read."
A young child who had been read to is much more likely to want to continue to read on their own. The more books they are exposed to and the greater variety of books they read will help them gain a desire to read on their own. Making the transition from reading daily to a child to getting them to continue to read daily can be a challenge. I think it is wonderful if parents continue to read to their older children as well, either in the car while traveling or in other settings. The trick is to get the child hooked on books so that they will be motivated to continue to read. Children are much more likely to read if they see their parents reading magazines, newspapers or books themselves. Our example speaks volumes to our children in this area as well as many other ways. Reading increases their vocabulary, verbal skills, writing and spelling skills and awareness of what is going on in the world around them.
Good ole Harry Potter has helped in this regard. The series got children into reading who wouldn't have been interested otherwise. But the cool thing is that there are so many other series and other books that are just as interesting and fun to read as Harry. Every library has book lists for each reading level and type of book sought - such as mysteries or adventures for example.
Here are some good sources for other wonderful books:
Here is a list of all the Caldecott award books. The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. It was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Together with the Newbery Medal, it is the most prestigious American children's book award.
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the Outstanding American Children's Book. The award has been given since 1922. Together with the Caldecott Medal, it is considered the most prestigious award for children's literature in the United States. It is named for John Newbery, an 18th century publisher of juvenile books.
Another great source is one my friend Colleen (who has been an elementary school teacher and administrator for over 20 years) shared at our friends group meeting a few months ago. She gave a great presentation on Children's Literature and share this great site for matching books to readers, using leveled books in guided reading. Also look here for other reading resources that teachers use.
We would make many trips to our public library when our kids were young. They could have their own individual library card as soon as they were old enough to qualify for one - kind of a right of passage. In the hundreds of books we checked out, I think we only lost one. Reading to them when they were young lead to them reading on their own which probably helped lead to academic success as stated in the article at the beginning. Our kids are proof that the theory works! I don't think it can be stressed enough - Reading to Children Matters!!!
2 comments:
Here, here! Reading rocks! I have also read though that more than actually reading to your kids, they need to see you reading and have many books in their home.
Reading rocks, and rolls. There is nothing better for a person than to read, and to read a lot. Thanks for your efforts, Vonnie, in instilling a love for reading in the kids. It continues to pay great dividends.
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