What is the most important attribute that you would like to develop in your child? Like majority of parents, you would definitely want your child to be intelligent. That is the reason parents spend days choosing the right schools for their kids. However, you can start this process right at home. As a parent, you can boost your child’s education by making books an innate part of their lives.
All of us are aware that ‘reading is a good thing’, but are you familiar with the variety of advantages a toddler could receive by being exposed to reading?
Why teach your kid to read from an early age?
Starting to read early assists greater maturity in kids, increases discipline and lays the groundwork for moral literacy. A child who is read-to at home by loving parents, from an early age, grows into a self-confident and independent adult. Reading also exposes kids to a range of problem-solving skills. In addition, it also ignites a child’s imagination and creativity. The psychological reasons for early reading are profound. It will help your kid grow up with a stronger self-image, more confidence and the qualities of a leader.
Reading helps develop a kid’s mental growth. In the first six years, children learn at a much faster pace than at any other time in their lives. Vital connections in the brain are made very early in life. These connections, which are a direct result of stimulation the child receives through early experiences, form the basis of all future learning and intellectual ability.
As parents talk, sing and read to their children, existing links among brain cells are strengthened and new links are formed. When a child is taught to read, the process of learning has a profound influence on the entire functioning and development of the brain. As parents, you can play a critical early role by inculcating not only a habit of reading, but more importantly, instilling a lifelong love of reading and learning.
Reading opens the door to your child’s early academic success, imparts a love of learning and leads to higher grades in every subject. Numerous studies have shown that strong oral language skills are the basis for literacy development. When children learn to read at an early age, they have greater general knowledge, expand their vocabulary and become more fluent readers. They also have improved attention spans and better concentration. Early readers can recognize a larger number of words by sight, which enables them to learn more from their environment. Growing up, these kids become competent researchers, who are able to study effectively and extract relevant and necessary information from books, magazines, websites or other sources of information. Try an app like FunDooDaa Books that has stories in multiple languages with great illustrations and interesting activities.
Even at a young age, children have social awareness. They can tell who can do what, and who is popular. If there are a few children in kindergarten who know how to read, they may receive awards and certificates, be called upon to choose books or encouraged to write, illustrate and read aloud their own stories. In some schools, they may even be asked to help other children, who may still be struggling with basic letter recognition.
Early readers have the opportunity to relate to their peers from a more confident, more competent level as they are already being recognized for their superior accomplishments. Such experiences increase a child’s social status among peers while simultaneously improving his or her self-image and self-confidence.
Children who can read independently from an early age have more opportunities to encounter the written word. The sooner children learn how to read, the more books, knowledge, and ideas they will be exposed to. The result? Improved linguistic skills in the form of a richer vocabulary, correct grammar, improved writing, better spelling and more articulate oral communication. Such children have the opportunity to develop a wider vocabulary to describe their knowledge, observations and experiences. It has been shown that children with a richer vocabulary do far better in scholastic areas, especially in the early years. Their stronger reading skills also enable them to communicate more effectively orally as well as in writing.
Give your child the opportunity to shine by making reading fun and interesting from an early age. Devote some time every day to read to your toddler and watch him or her grow up to be more confident, successful and intelligent.
