There is no more important activity for preparing your child to succeed as a reader than reading aloud together.  Fill your story times with a variety of books.  Be consistent, be patient and watch the magic work.  Reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination and expands their understanding of the world.  It helps them develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word.  When the rhythm and melody of language become a part of a child’s life, learning to read will be as natural as learning to walk and talk.  Even after children learn to read by themselves, it’s still important to read aloud together.  By reading stories that are on their interest level, but beyond their reading level, you can stretch young readers’ understanding and motivate them to improve their skills.

Research on the importance of reading shows that specific areas of the brain are affected when young children have reading exposure at home from an early age.  These areas are critical for a child’s language development.  For children who speak more than one language, reading is an easy way to help their language skills and is important to develop their fluency.

The more you read to your children, the more knowledge they absorb, and knowledge is important in all aspects of life.  Reading to your children leads to questions about the book and the information within.  It gives you a chance to speak about what is happening and use this as a learning experience.  It may also develop an interest in different cultures or languages.  There is nothing better than seeing a child who loves to learn.

After all, as Dr Seuss would say “The more that you read, the more you will know, the more that you know, the more places you will go”.

At Foremarke, we have identified reading as a key area in a child’s overall development and through various activities like Library Storytime encourage children to read amazing stories with the help of our wonderful teachers.