Friday, April 7, 2017

Why Reading with your Child at Home is Important

Reading is a crucial part of our daily lives. Our language permeates everything we do with written signs, notices, and, perhaps most importantly, literacy introduces the method by which knowledge can be transferred from one person to another. In order to give your child the best start on education, the importance of reading to them cannot be overstated. One of the worst mistakes, where education is concerned, is to leave your child’s education entirely up to people outside the home.


Building Vocabulary and Pronunciation

Reading builds vocabulary. The average 3 year old has a vocabulary of around 300 words, but reading to them at home can increase this number dramatically. Additionally, reading to your child teaches them to pronounce words correctly and introduces them to the rules of the language. Once the rules of the language have been learned, the sky's the limit when it comes to what your child can learn.


Establishing a Knowledge Base

We use the written language as a method of storing information. Reading to your child encourages them to want to read as well. In this way, reading aloud to your child teaches them the importance of language as a tool for communication, and gives them the tools to learn about anything that interests them.


Imagination and Creativity

Reading to children teaches them to be imaginative and creative. Picture books encourage kids to think about what is going on behind the scenes or to anticipate what is about to happen. This leads to both critical thinking skills and the ability to know reality from fantasy. Reading to your kids and discussing the words being read instills the power of language and helps them use it to their advantage.


Literacy and Education

Books are the most common method of imparting knowledge on young minds. Teaching them that reading is the key to knowing why the sky is blue or learning about the ingredients in ice cream empowers children to find out more about their world. Just as importantly, most of your children’s education will be spent learning from books, so giving them a headstart on the written language is equivalent to helping them do well on every knowledge test they ever take.


Reading Encourages Writing


Reading to your child encourages them to enjoy a good story. Enjoying a good story leads to wanting to share their own experiences. And since the written language can be used for sharing information, the eventual outcome is a child who is better able to express themselves in a manner that can be passed from one person to another.

Day Star Montessori incorporates reading from the beginning of a child's enrollment at the school.  While it is mostly teacher led, children are able to hear adults reading to them, learning about vocabulary and different story types. Once they learn to read on their own, they are able to think creatively and use their skills from reading in all facets of their education and beyond.  In the Montessori environment, as students learn through peer interaction, they can be taught additional reading skills by their fellow students and families at home.  Contact us today to see how reading is incorporated into the Montessori curriculum.
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Author: verified_user