Dear Editor,
The most important reason for reading to children is for them to develop a love of literacy or to acquire a deep affection for print. Therefore, the most critical time to read to them is from the moment they were born up until their kindergarten years. Here is where the foundation is set, so it is crucial that this is done at this stage of their development.
However, it is of utmost importance that we understand the purpose and methods for reading to children in order to achieve the results that are necessary to set this foundation. With this in mind, we will focus on the purpose and discover that there are seven specific reasons why we read to children and how we use books as the infrastructure for their entire school life.
The number one reason for reading to children is for joy of literacy, as mentioned in the opening sentence. If we, as parents, read to our children frequently they would learn to treat books as their buddy. Once we have established this starting point, we will soon find out the other reasons why we need to read to them, so that they can develop into literate individuals.
If we reflected on how humans learn we would find that everything starts with a concept or rule for that particular thing. If we also keep in mind that there is a specific time to achieve certain skills, then we will know that we cannot delay the progress of our children if we want them to strive in a very competitive world.
So, our second reason for reading to children is to develop specific concepts or ideas of things. It is imperative that children who are of pre-school and kindergarten age get exposed to basic concepts such as: letters, sounds, colours, shapes, numbers, sizes, days of the week, positions, textures etc. When we, as parents, understand that we have an obligation to educate ourselves first, then our task of educating our children would be much easier and more purposeful.
Thirdly, reading to children for information is a great way for them to find out more about the world that they live in. Here is where the concepts are expanded or transferred and the opportunity to learn becomes limitless.
Fourthly, sometimes parents overlook the aspect of selecting books that deal with humour, which is such an important skill for children to develop. Humour can be considered as a Mecca cognitive skill. It is beyond knowledge – it is a skill that requires pulling language out and having the ability to analyse it and understand it.
Next, we read to children to develop sensitivity to emotions. In other words, children need to have an understanding of their feelings and those of other persons as well.
We also read to children to expand their vocabulary and comprehension, which are closely linked together. If children have an extensive vocabulary, it is much easier for them to understand what is said, and they in turn would be able to express themselves fluently and in an intelligent way.
Finally, we read to children to develop reading and writing skills. As parents, we must be aware that there is a vast difference between children who are read to on a daily basis during these critical years of their development versus those who were not so fortunate to have this privilege. Children who are read to every day tend to induce everything, so learning to read and write become almost like osmosis. They do not need to be taught a lot because they have all their systems working for them that would be necessary for the development of these vital skills.
To recap, as we can see, all these skills are very important, but they become essential at different times during their developmental stages. This is why we must educate ourselves as parents, so that we can plan for our children in order for them to reach these milestones at the appropriate time rather than letting them happen by chance or to depend solely on the educational system to supply these needs.
Joslyn Morton
