Reading to your Child is Fundamental

Children learn to love the sound of language before they even notice the existence of printed words on a page.  Reading, and the love for reading, begins at home and therefore parents should act as reading role models for their children. Parent involvement in early literacy is directly connected to later academic achievement. Early learning research emphasizes the importance of daily adult/child reading time, as well as having books at home for children to help them be academically ready for kindergarten.

According to scientific research, reading helps the child to:

• develop his ability to use the language
• practice his memory
• stimulate and enrich his imagination
• cultivate critical thinking and creative search
• build a strong relationship with parents
• ensure a balanced emotional development
• cultivate moral values
• improve his ability to concentrate
• study easier his lessons at school
• and gain greater willingness to learn

Therefore, it would be good to read to our child 20 minutes a day, every day regardless of the age of your child! It is ultimately the best investment for our child’s future!

So, the more kids read, the better readers they become and the more they learn about the world around them. Children who do not read usually have poor reading skills. Reading is a struggle for them, and they avoid it whenever possible. Thus, it is really helpful to find out the reasons for not liking or wanting to read.

• It’s boring. If your children have this response to reading texts from school, you can always expose them to another kinds of reading at home tailored to their needs and interests. If you want to get you children motivated to read,  give them choices. Let them choose the book.
• It’s too hard. For some children, reading is a difficult process. If your child is facing difficulties in reading, talk with his/her teacher and ask about how you can find interesting books and materials written at the reading level of your child.
• It’s not important. Often children do not understand how reading can be useful or relevant to their lives. So, give them plenty of reasons, find books that interest them and teach them by your example.
• It’s no fun. For some children, especially those who have difficulty reading, books cause anxiety and frustration. Take the pressure off reading, let your child see you enjoying reading and he will enjoy it too. Extend the positive experience that a child may have after reading a book. For example, if the child enjoyed a book about dinosaurs, continue with a visit to the natural history museum.

The following material is created by Colorín Colorado, a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs). The suggested tips are divided by age, however, many of them can be used with children at various ages and stages and can be applied not only for the English language but for every language that your child speaks or learns.