Read to your child and enjoy
A child's reading skills are important to their success in school and work. In addition, reading can be a fun and imaginative activity for children, which opens doors to all kinds of new worlds for them. Children may not understand the importance of studies and find it boring, so you need to make the entire process interesting from a young age. Even if you don't have time to exercise, or even to cook, do take out at least 20 minutes daily and read out loud books to your child according to their age and make it a source of game for them.
Importance of reading:
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Types of Books: You should choose the books for your child keeping in mind his age and interest. Children develop at their own pace and abilities and interest levels will differ. However, there are some important development stages that can be broadly related to age.
0-9 months: Research suggests that new-born babies are able to see objects up to about 20cm away and can distinguish differences in shape and size. In the early days, babies will focus on contrasts in color, so at this stage, cloth books with black and whit
e images are likely to provide the greatest entertainment and stimulation. By about 2 months, children are able to see whole patterns, rather than just outlines and will respond to slightly more complex images. By 3 months, babies develop their ability to see a greater range of colors. Bright, contrasting colors work best at this age and books with chunky patterns and shapes in primary colors are most popular.
9-18 months: This is a period of rapid development for all babies. Children of this age love sharing a book with a favorite adult. Books can offer a world of entertainment for young minds and can spark the imagination and trigger the curiosity of the smallest child. Nursery rhymes and poems are particular favorites of this age. Children may not be able to grasp the whole meaning but they will love the rhythm of your voice and will begin to join in with you, especially for action rhymes and poems. Reading aloud to children and introducing them to objects in picture books will encourage the development of their understanding and their vocabulary. At this age child will begin to learn that what lies inside a book can be interesting and entertaining and that reading with you means fun and closeness.
The range of books for children of this age is growing all the time. Classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and Peepo by Janet and Allan Ahlberg are very different to each other and to more modern interactive books such as those by Jo Lodge all have been successful. What is appealing to one child, is not to another and so some experimentation will be called for on your part.
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Books:
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18-36 months: At this age, they begin to understand simple stories and will start to show interest for some books and stories. Some children at this age are only interested in interactive books with flaps, tabs and noises; others want bright, bold illustrations; some are hooked by pacy rhymes; and others quickly grasp the humor in stories and love funny books.
Look for books with rhyming stories, with bold, bright pictures, with detailed illustrations so that you can talk about what they can see, with flaps and tabs, with sounds, with soothing pastel illustrations, with fun animal characters, with letters and numbers, with traditional tales.
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You can also choose books with your kid's favorite TV characters. For this age look for books of any sort to get them interested. There is now a huge amount of books available for children in this age group. Authors such as Eric Hill, Rod Campbell, Janet & Alan Ahlberg and Mick Inkpen are all great favorites. Books:
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3-5 years: During these years, children make huge progress in terms of understanding and developing basic reading skills. Most children begin to read between the ages of 4 and 7. Reading aloud to children at this age is extremely important and sharing books with them is the beginning of the reading process. As children grow, you will be able to spend more time focusing on the words themselves and helping them to begin to recognize letters and words.
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You should select a variety of different types of language to read to your child (including poetry, traditional stories and mystery as well as everyday stories), a range of easier books with very few words, so that your child can begin to 'read' independently, by remembering a story which he has heard often, understand your kids interest and let him choose books which he really likes for whatever reason. For children who like offbeat humor and kooky illustrations, there is Babette Cole or Tony Ross, and for those who prefer more gentle stories and colorful illustrations, there is Jill Murphy. For lots of fun, pace and great characters, try Lynley Dodd's rhyming books and for nature and the world around us, try Judy Allen. |
Books:
- Goodnight Moon Board by Hurd, Clement, Brown, Margaret W, Brown
- Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle, Eric
- Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Oxenbury, Helen, Fox, Mem
So go and visit your nearest book store and get home some interesting books. There are many online book sites too. Always remember, you are the first teacher for your kid and you have the responsibility to shape up their future.
(Sources: thechildrensbookcase.com, childliteracy.com, totsites.com, kidsbooks.ca)
