Did you know that reading could help your child see lifetime success? Many parents are looking for ways to give their kids a leg up in this world. It can be easy to see our world is becoming more and more competitive and our children need all the help they can get. There are many things parents can do to help their children succeed in life. However, one of the greatest things parents can do for their children to encourage their success is to facilitate a love of reading from an early age.
How Reading Helps Your Child
Reading improves vocabulary
Research has shown children who are consistently read to before they start kindergarten have, on average, 10 percent more vocabulary words than children who aren’t exposed to reading. And it doesn’t stop there. Children who are exposed to books and stories at an early age often develop of love a reading. As they begin reading, they expand their vocabulary. As their reading level increases, they subconsciously develop more complex vocabulary words through the context of their reading. When learning a language, studies have shown the best way to learn vocabulary is through consistent reading. If we want our children to have a wide vocabulary, we must read to them and encourage them to read on their own as well.
Reading activates the imagination
Many of us have experienced getting lost in the fictional world of a good story. When children are reading or being read to, their brains have to imagine the world and characters when the story is taking place. They are forced to use the words on the page to create a mental image of what is happening in the story. How many times have you read a book and then watched the movie, only to be disappointed that the characters or places don’t look a thing like you had imagined them? Reading forces us to use our imagination and just like anything else, the more we practice the better we get. Children who read or are read to can use their imaginations to find solutions to problems, create new ideas and so much more.
Reading models language
Effective communication may be the most important skill of this century. Reading models how people communicate. Dialogue in a story is a great example of speaking to one another. Grammar structures exist on the page for readers to experience. We learn how language is used through the indirect instruction of the written language. Reading teaches children how to structure language in order to write well. Often, the number one suggestion for writers to improve their craft is reading the types of work they are focusing on. The same applies to children. When children read, they develop an innate understanding of how to write and how to write well.
Learn how to best read to your child
Reading and encouraging reading are some of the best things parents and teachers can do to help children succeed. As children read, they acquire language skills like increased vocabulary, grammar structures, and effective writing. They are able to use their imagination and think outside the box whether necessary or not. If you are looking to boost your child’s cognitive development, begin reading to and with them as soon as possible! If you’re not sure how to best read to your child, find some great tips HERE.
