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The benefits of reading to children are many. The human brain is most open to environmental influences in the first few years of life with 90% of brain development occurring between birth and the age of five. Research has shown that children whose parents read to them when they are young learn to speak, read and write more easily. What preschoolers know before they enter school is strongly related to how easily they learn to read when they start school.
Imagine learning to read is like building a house. You would not try and build the walls without first laying strong foundations. Emergent literacy skills, or pre-reading skills, are the strong foundations of reading. Children need to have these early skills before they can learn to read. Emergent literacy skills include:
– The ability to recognise and name letters of the alphabet.
– General knowledge about print, for example, which is the front of the book and which is the back, how to turn the pages of a book and that (in English) we read from top to bottom and left to right.
– The ability to identify and manipulate sounds, also called phonological awareness (the sounds in words).
How do children learn these skills? By being regularly read to and by having access to lots of great books to explore. So try and make time to read at least one book a day.
– Young children need lots of special one on one time with their parents and caregivers. Reading together is a simple and enjoyable way to take time out from hectic schedules and bond with your children.
– Books can help children discover the world around them. There might not be that many dinosaurs roaming the streets but there are plenty in books!
– Story time can be one of the most rewarding and memorable moments you can spend with a child, and one that both of you will treasure for years to come.
Sometimes it just takes one wonderful book to start a lifelong love of reading, but with so many picture books available, how do you find the books that will become your child’s favourites, the ones that they will remember as adults and then want to read to their children?
– You know your child best. Be guided by their interests. If they are mad about trains, read books about trains. – If they are spending their days hunting for fairies, read books about fairies.
– All children love predictable books, books that have a pattern, a predictable plot or lots of repetition. These books are a great choice for preschoolers as they can guess what is going to happen next and start ‘reading’ them to you.
– Hearing and using rhyme is a fun way of making sounds, words and stories memorable. Preschoolers love to chant along and participate in the story.
– Other characteristics of favourite books for 4 and 5 year olds include humour, suspense, and imagination. If you are still stuck then try well-loved, classic books that stand the test of time, such as ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, ‘Who Sank the Boat?’ or ‘Possum Magic’.
Sharing a book with a preschooler is a perfect opportunity to enjoy a great story, while helping develop their pre-reading skills. Children at this age learn best through play and experience, rather than formal instruction:
Other things that you can do:
– Encourage family and friends to give books as gifts.
– Share books with friends/families with young children, and ask what they are enjoying reading.
– Find someone else to read to your child. Most libraries offer free Story Time sessions for young children. You can also borrow some story CD’s or audio books.
– Make your own books together with your preschooler. Print out photos, write simple sentences on each page and staple together. Preschoolers love a book about themselves!
The preschool years are an important time in developing a lifelong love of reading, so try and make the time to read a book (or three) every day!
(This article is contributed to by Raising Literacy Australia, a not-for-profit organisation committed to enriching Australian lives through literacy.)
At My Cubby House, we adopt the 3A Abecedarian Strategies, including reading, as part of our education philosophy.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our approach to talking and reading with preschoolers, please call our office on 07 5527 1679.
Source: https://www.startingblocks.gov.au/at-home/reading-with-preschoolers