When my daughter was a baby, I’d read books aloud to her. I remember some people thought it was a bit odd. She’s a baby, she’s not asking for books. I thought reading aloud was rather magical and so I kept doing it and continued into the toddler years, the preschool years, and beyond.
Turns out, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) thinks reading aloud to babies and toddlers is pretty great, too. The AAP recently announced a new policy prescribing reading aloud to children as early as birth.
Research shows that there are numerous benefits to doing so.
* Shared reading promotes early brain development and promotes bonding between parents and children, according to the AAP.
* By age three years, children who experience language-rich environments have a vocabulary of nearly 1,100 words, whereas children without these experiences possess only approximately 500 words, according to Families in Schools.
* As early as the first months of life, children’s experiences with oral-language development and literacy begin to build a foundation for later reading success according to studies by Duke & Carlisle, 2011; Dickinson & Neuman, 2006.
* Language and literacy development begins at birth and gaps in achievement appear well before kindergarten entry, according to a study by the National Governors Association in 2013 that you can find here.
Getting ready for school is something often seen as applying in kindergarten and higher grades, but you can get young children into the action by reading aloud to them.
Reading with them is an important part of preparing for preschool. “It is crucial that every child be exposed to the age-appropriate books and reading materials before they enter preschool,” said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic.
Scholastic offers these tips for preparing for preschool:
* Talk about what you’re making for dinner or buying at the grocery store (so many signs and letters at the grocery store!)
* When reading with your child, ask your child questions about the pictures and letters.
* Pick books that you like. If you were a Clifford fan as a kid, by all means, revisit your favorite big red friend. Even better, talk to your child about what books your remember loving. Let them know that you were a reader then, and let them see you reading now.
* Point out shapes and patterns everywhere you find them.
* Talk, sing and use rhymes with your child.
What are/were your favorite ways of preapring for preschool, and beyond?
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