There is no more important activity to prepare a child for success in life than inculcating the habit of reading and reading together as a family and aloud. Fill your story times with a variety of books and be consistent and patient. Enjoy, share and see how the magic of words works.
Start small so that the habit lasts
By a few months of age, a baby can look at pictures, hear your voice, and point to objects on book pages. Guide your child by pointing to the pictures and say the names of the various objects as you do so. By drawing attention to pictures and associating words with pictures and real-world objects, your child will learn the importance of language.
Children learn to love the sound of language even before noticing the existence of printed words on a page. Reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination and broadens their understanding of the world. It helps them develop language and listening skills, and prepares them to understand the written word. When the rhythm and melody of language become part of a child’s life, learning to read will be as natural as learning to walk and talk.
Even after children learn to read on their own, it is important that they continue to read aloud to their parents from time to time. Reading stories to children who are at your interest level, but still beyond their reading level, can expand their comprehension capacity and boost their motivation to continue improving their reading skills.
Reading will make your children successful
The goal of any parent is to educate their children so that they are lucky in life and can prosper, and reading has a lot to do with this. Motivating children to read and practice reading independently, becoming fluent readers over time, will be one of the keys to starting that path.
We can help our children find the tools they need to be successful in life , and having access to information through the printed word is an absolute necessity in this regard. Knowledge is power and books are full of it, but reading is much more than a practical tool. Through books we can enrich our minds and we can relax and enjoy some precious moments of leisure. Allow your children to start a lifelong relationship with the written word, to become adults who read easily and frequently, whether for academic or work reasons, or for the desire for knowledge or pleasure.
Around the ages of 4 and 7, many children begin to recognize words on a page, and before long, that special moment is likely to take place when a child holds up a book and begins to unravel the mystery of words and words. the great stories . This practice requires patience, and it is easier to be patient when we are able to remember how many things children are unaware of. Those things we also had to learn once, and we recommend some of them so that you can explain them from time to time to your children:
- There is a difference between words and pictures. Point out the words when you read aloud to your children.
- Words on a page have meaning, and that is what we learn from reading.
- The words go across the page from left to right. Follow with your finger as you read.
- Words on a page are made up of letters and are separated by a space.
- Each letter has at least two forms: one for uppercase and one for lowercase.
Imagine how you would feel if you were trying to interpret a book full of symbols that you do not understand … well this is how young readers feel, and that is why you must be especially careful if you want them to really feel interested in a book.
Do not forget that there are things that parents can give children at home that classrooms cannot , and educating them in certain habits and practices is the task of parents. If you educate your children to learn to love reading, and they see the enthusiasm in your eyes, over the years these children will have excellent memories and will know how to value books as you taught them. They will remember stories that made them laugh, stories that made them cry, moments with the people they love the most or moments of great joys.
By reading aloud as a family and being a great example to their children, parents are in a unique position to help children enjoy reading, learn, discern … ultimately, on the road to success in life on the path of knowledge and wisdom.
