Copyright: Michael Byron Smith Have you ever found a baby or toddler that isn’t fascinated when you read to them? As for myself, I have not. They love everything about it. The attention, the pictures, your voice, the magic and wonder of words on a page having meaning, the characters and stories themselves are all quite spellbinding and together become a symphony of learning.
I’m not going to quote research here. Let’s go with common sense and experience. Reading, as they say, is fundamental to learning and communication. The earlier you introduce books to the developing mind of a child, the quicker and easier the synapses of the brain connect, promoting understanding, and a desire for more stimulation.
Due to unfortunate circumstances, neither my siblings nor I were read to - neither did we have much access to books. As a result, I had no interest in reading anything outside of school until I was in my thirties. I found my curiosity lacked stimulation because of this. Of my five siblings, there is not one that is much of a reader. It affected not just our informal education, but our formal schooling. All of my siblings quit school before getting a high school degree, although a couple went back to school later in life. It had much to do with not having an interest in reading, making school subsequently less appealing, and more challenging to succeed.
So I advise with enthusiasm to start early, read often! Reading to babies helps build bonds with books, wonder, and the reader. Vocabularies improve, and a habit of learning sinks in as a consequence. When reading a story becomes part of the bedtime routine, your child will ensure this happens every night. Spend time on photos and illustrations, connecting the words to the visual story. Ask them questions to make them think and to have them be involved in the story.
My heart swells when I see my 4 or 6-year-old grandchild sitting with a book alone. I find the four-year-old reading her books from memory, and with expression, which reminds me to read with expression myself. My eleven-year-old granddaughter was bitten early with the reading bug with the help of her parents. She has read every Harry Potter book, some twice, and many, many others. She is in the 5th grade but already understands at a first-year university level. Her world is so much bigger than the world I knew as an eleven-year-old. All my grandchildren’s curiosities are through the roof!
I wonder what more I could have accomplished with a reading background from my childhood? It took me quite a while to catch up with my peers in aspects beyond education. I read much more as an older adult, but my wife will read 4-5 books to each one of mine. I’m still a slow reader, but I found how much I can grow and have grown from reading and enjoy every moment of it.
Do it! Starting now if you haven’t already. Read to your kids and let them read to you! It is truly a great way to connect and such an easy and essential gift to give, and it includes the whole world!
I’m not going to quote research here. Let’s go with common sense and experience. Reading, as they say, is fundamental to learning and communication. The earlier you introduce books to the developing mind of a child, the quicker and easier the synapses of the brain connect, promoting understanding, and a desire for more stimulation.
Due to unfortunate circumstances, neither my siblings nor I were read to - neither did we have much access to books. As a result, I had no interest in reading anything outside of school until I was in my thirties. I found my curiosity lacked stimulation because of this. Of my five siblings, there is not one that is much of a reader. It affected not just our informal education, but our formal schooling. All of my siblings quit school before getting a high school degree, although a couple went back to school later in life. It had much to do with not having an interest in reading, making school subsequently less appealing, and more challenging to succeed.
So I advise with enthusiasm to start early, read often! Reading to babies helps build bonds with books, wonder, and the reader. Vocabularies improve, and a habit of learning sinks in as a consequence. When reading a story becomes part of the bedtime routine, your child will ensure this happens every night. Spend time on photos and illustrations, connecting the words to the visual story. Ask them questions to make them think and to have them be involved in the story.
My heart swells when I see my 4 or 6-year-old grandchild sitting with a book alone. I find the four-year-old reading her books from memory, and with expression, which reminds me to read with expression myself. My eleven-year-old granddaughter was bitten early with the reading bug with the help of her parents. She has read every Harry Potter book, some twice, and many, many others. She is in the 5th grade but already understands at a first-year university level. Her world is so much bigger than the world I knew as an eleven-year-old. All my grandchildren’s curiosities are through the roof!
I wonder what more I could have accomplished with a reading background from my childhood? It took me quite a while to catch up with my peers in aspects beyond education. I read much more as an older adult, but my wife will read 4-5 books to each one of mine. I’m still a slow reader, but I found how much I can grow and have grown from reading and enjoy every moment of it.
Do it! Starting now if you haven’t already. Read to your kids and let them read to you! It is truly a great way to connect and such an easy and essential gift to give, and it includes the whole world!
