September is National Literacy Month, and it’s a great opportunity to encourage the children to visit the library, pick up a good book, and discover new worlds. Children begin acquiring and learning from the very day they are born and as they grow and develop their language and language skills become more complex. They learn to understand and use language to express their ideas, thoughts, and feelings and to communicate with others.
In early language development, children learn skills that are important for developing literacy (reading and writing) skills. This phase, known as emergent literacy, begins at birth and lasts into the pre-school years.
Why is reading important?
Literacy is the ability to read, write, spell, listen, and speak.
Reading is necessary for learning, therefore developing a love for reading at a young age is key to lifelong learning. Reading aloud presents books as a source of fun, entertaining, and engaging learning experiences that children can remember. Children who value books are more motivated to read and are likely to retain that value for the rest of their lives.
A child’s love for reading begins developing at a young age which gives the child an advantage in expanding his vocabulary and in developing independence and self-confidence. It helps children to understand not only the world around them, but also people skills, develop social-emotional skills and, of course, imagination.
Reading introduces a child to other styles, voices, forms, and genres of writing. It is important to note that it enables a child to write better than and helps them improve.
In addition, reading is a fundamental foundation for developing problem-solving and logic skills. Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including memory, problem-solving, and decision making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.
Is spoken language and literacy linked?
Yes, oral and listening experience acquired at preschool age prepares children to learn reading and interaction in the first years of elementary school, which means that children who go to school with less improved verbal skills are much more likely to have difficulty learning to read and write than those who don’t.
Reading to Learn
Research shows that if a child does not read at the class level by third grade, their ability to achieve future academic achievement and graduation on time will be diminished. Teachers usually know that by the third-grade children should be able to engage in basic reading.
It is proved through research that it is difficult to be successful in science, social studies, and even math without a solid foundation in reading and writing.
Reading to Children
We transfer joy to a child’s brain every time we read something to them. It’s almost as though the child is being motivated into connecting books and prints with enjoyment.
What Parents Can Do
Regular activities can help your child develop reading and writing skills without lengthening the day. There are also things to do during the scheduled playing and reading times. Show your children that reading and writing are part of everyday life and can certainly be fun.
A few suggested activities for preschool children :
- Speak to you child about objects, people, and events from their everyday life.
- Repeat and add your child’s tone sequences (for example, “dadadada, bababa”).
- Discuss everyday activities such as using the toilet or eating with your child and answer their questions.
- Let your child know about everyday environments such as the office, street signs, company logos, and food packaging.
- Introduce new vocabulary during holidays and special activities such as trips to the zoo, the park, Christmas etc.
- Include your child in singing games, rhymes, and nursery rhymes.
- Read picture books and pictures that focus on sounds, rhymes, and alliterations (words that start with the same sound)
- Read your child’s favorite books again and again
- Encourage your child to describe a picture or tell a story and write down the words.
Over time, as children play phonetic games, children learn to break words into individual sounds and map the sounds into printed letters so that they can begin learning to read and write. Successful readers and writers are commonly ahead of their peers in life, but youngsters who struggle with such tasks are frequently left behind.
Children’s writing and reading abilities are based on their ability to communicate verbally. Most tasks children will include speaking or listening, as well as reading and writing. Whatever else you have planned for today, make sure to encourage your child to enjoy these small things and develop a love for reading at an early stage!
