Reading is an essential skill your child will need throughout his/her life and teaching your child to read is one of the most valuable tasks you will ever undertake as a parent. Children benefit from learning to read early and it is the key to opening your child’s creativity and imagination. Helping your little one develop a love for reading will be one of the best gifts you can give them. Since very young children can’t read by themselves yet, reading to them each day is an important first step a parent needs to adopt.
Reading to a child helps:
- Promote linguistic skills
- Develop longer attention spans
- Strengthen parent-child bond
- Build self-confidence
- Improve logical thinking ability
Start reading to your child from the moment he or she is born. It is never too early to encourage your child to develop a love of reading. Early readers are motivated towards learning in general as from a young age, they have associated books with fun. Reading a book aloud to your baby even before they can talk provides a great opportunity for you to bond with your li’l one while they see, touch and peer over the books, hooked on to the sounds of different words.
Newborns respond to bright pictures, the rhythm of words and the comfort of a parent cuddling and speaking to them. Point to things in picture books and name them. As your child learns to talk, ask them to “point and tell.” It interests a child’s curiosity when a parent engages in a conversation with them. Set aside a dedicated time each day for reading. Make it a part of your child’s routine.
It is important that your child is given access to books. Let your child touch, feel and experience the books. Don’t worry about tatters, what is a child’s book without a tatter or scribble? Allow your child to explore their book, but also teach them to handle books appropriately. They will learn the trade slowly.
Take your child to a regular story-telling session. These are often followed by art and craft activities and your child will associate reading with fun and pleasure.
Often, picking the right book for your child could be challenging. Board books, picture books, touch and feel books, lift the flap and Cloth and vinyl books are perfect with infants and young toddlers. Bold colors with high contrast are the easiest for young babies to see. Toddlers love simple story lines that are repetitive. Choose books with great rhymes. Babies and toddlers love the rhythm and rhyme of a simple book.