Why Should Children Read?
Reading is an essential skill children must learn to be successful at school. Why? Because reading is REQUIRED to learn about most other subjects. Most of their learning is done from reading, whether it is books, magazines, workbooks from the teacher or writing on the blackboard, the ability to read is a must.
After all, how can you answer maths, science or social studies questions if you can't read them? It's impossible right? Yes, the ability to read is crucial and the better a child can read the easier they will learn in school.
How To Get A Child To Read!
There are plenty of ways to encourage your children to read. Remember, they are children, so get them involved and make it fun, fun, fun. They can help you bake and read recipes, read toy coupons and pamphlets that come in the mail, read comics, labels at shopping or road signs while driving. Think of fun games you can play while shopping, driving or walking to school, it will be of great benefit to your child.
5 REASONS To Encourage Reading
1. Smarter Children: Pretty obvious really. The more they read, the more they learn - the more they learn, the more they know - the more they know, the smarter they are.
2. Reduces Stress: Wow, that's interesting! Think about it, when you're reading you sit in a quiet place, still your mind and focus on reading. Your mind slows down and you're generally calm and relaxed. This relaxed state is similar to meditating and kids will benefit in developing the habit of relaxation.
3. Develops Cognitive (mental processing) Skills: Reading develops children's imaginations and creativity. What better way to encourage your child to dream! It also encourages logical thinking and problem solving skills.
4. Enhanced Concentration & Discipline: Along with reading comprehension comes a stronger self-discipline, longer attention span, and better memory retention, all of which will serve your child well while learning at school.
5. Better Communication Skills: By witnessing the interactions between the characters in the books, as well as the contact with you during reading time, your child is gaining valuable communication skills. It's also a perfect opportunity to spend quality time together and bond with your child, many of us have fond memories of times spent reading with parents.
5 WAYS To Encourage Reading
Okay, so reading is important now how do you get your kids to read?
1. Make Books Available & Accessible: Children who become readers usually come from homes where books and other reading materials are present throughout the house. Keep plenty of books around the house and make sure they're easy to get to, don't hide them away so they can't access them whenever they want.
2. Lead By Example: Children often adopt the habits of their parents so it's a good way to encourage your child to read. If your children see you enjoy reading, they are more likely to develop the same habit.
3. Visit The Library Regularly: Take your children to the library often. Let them get excited about choosing their own books. Most libraries have story time where librarians read stories to children or they run different activities to encourage reading. Become a member of the library and participate in activities so your child looks forward to visiting the library.
4. Make Reading Fun: Children prefer to do things that are fun. Make story time enjoyable, act out stories, use different voices and read with enthusiasm. A boring reader makes for a boring story no matter how exciting the story may really be. You'll find you'll enjoy reading time too.
5. Personalized Books: Get your child a personalized book of their own. Children are amazed when they realize the story is about them. They boost self-esteem and are a great way to encourage reading. The books are fantastic keepsakes your child will treasure for a very long time.
>> Click here to for a simple, step-by-step program that can help your child learn to read, and watch a video of a 2 year old child reading