How to Encourage Children to Read
Nearly everyone agrees that literacy is important, not only for intellectual development, but also to facilitate your navigation through life. According to the National Children's Reading Foundation, for every twelve month period that a child is frequently read to, their average lifetime earnings increase by $50,000. This translates to a financial gift of $250,000 during years one through five. As your young child grows, the time during which you spend reading to them will lead to better language, listening and comprehension skills. It is also a great way to bond with them emotionally. The manner in which a child is read to can encourage both their interest in reading and their overall academic aptitude. This article will demonstrate ways to make the most of this time together in order to encourage maximum interest in the written word.
Things You'll Need
- Children's books
Instructions
Read to your new baby. Children are more likely to have an easier time with reading if they are read to early and often during the first five years after birth. Newborns are not too young to benefit from this. As early as your baby's first week of life, begin a nightly bedtime ritual of holding your infant close as you read a short story in a soothing voice. This stimulates the growth of new neural pathways in the brain that are linked to heightened cognitive ability later in life. The comfort and security this provides can also help to develop a better emotional disposition. Make note of which books become favorites of your child and read them frequently. Your child will see that her interests are valued and be more likely to seek out this and other books proactively. Present your child with books as gifts to communicate that books are to be treasured and are important to their future. Take time to discuss the story as you read to your child. It may take time before they converse fluently with you, but as early as age three or four a child who is read to frequently will be more verbal than less literary peers. Ask them if they can imagine what may happen next to develop their creative thinking skills. Talk about shape, size, and color as you look at the illustrations. Ask them to try to identify pictures on the page and wait for a response. If none is given, answer for the child until they can answer you themselves. This develops language and conversation ability that in turn will ease the development of reading skills because the same areas of the brain are utilized. Omit key words and phrases to familiar stories that your child favors. He will love to fill in the missing parts of the story, and have the opportunity to learn how to repeat the story in their own words. This will stimulate memorization skills necessary for all academic learning, including learning to read and to recall vital data. As you read, use plenty of animation and vary your tone of voice. This will be more interesting to your child, and help to develop a better attention span as they learn to focus longer on one activity. Make regular trips to the children's section of your local bookstore and to the public library with your child. Build anticipation for the event as something exciting and special. The receipt of their first library card should be seen as an important rite of passage.
