Importance Of Reading For Young Children

The most important factor influencing the success that your child will attain and accrue in their early education is being ready for an initial introduction of books at home before they begin to attend school. A child's early literacy typically encompasses all their experiences with stories (written and oral), conversations, print, and books. In terms of brain development, your child's brain is typically as active as an adult's brain by the age of 2, and from the age of 3 until the age of 13 to 14, a child's brain is three times as active as an adult brain.

Research findings related to early childhood development indicate that there are numerous benefits to learning how to read early in a person's life when still young. Some disagree that there are benefits of learning to read while still young. Nonetheless, the vast majority of researchers and parents agree that it is useful and beneficial. Herein, we will explore the main facts that show how learning to read early is beneficial to kids.

1Kids Who Read Early Achieve Better In School

Learning to read entails listening, understanding, and working out the contents on a page. As kids listen to stories, they are exposed to many words. As such, they can build up their vocabulary and, in turn, improve their understanding when they are spoken to or read stories to, which is a vital foundation for reading. When parents read aloud to their young kids, they tend to have better literacy and language skills once they start school.

Reading promotes a child's achievement in their education and not just in the English language. Studies show that kids having excellent reading skills tend to attain better results across their educational curriculum. Research shows that children who read daily for leisure not only perform better in reading tests than kids who do not, but they also develop better general knowledge, a better understanding of their culture and that of others, and better vocabulary.

2Reading Promotes Self-Confidence And Creativity

Research has shown that reading improves your child's self-confidence (as they are presented with a challenge, they learn the skills necessary to overcome the problem) and the creative space needed to develop their creativity. It is essential to note that reading enhances more than just art-based creative thinking. Research has shown that early reading has a positive impact on creative problem-solving in a wide variety of areas, including professional, business, and personal relationships throughout one's life.

More often than not, it is easy to notice when your child feels good about themselves (and when they do not). This is what we typically call "self-esteem." Reading with your child every day is a helpful way of building your child's self-esteem. Take turns to read a page, or give your child one line or one word per line to read.

3Early Reading Encourages A Child's Independence

A parent or caregiver helping their child learn to read in a relaxed environment at home early on will enable their kids to attain self-confidence and independence at an early stage. Moreover, reading promotes self-discipline and greater maturity and forms the basis of moral literacy. It sparks intrigue about places, people, and things while satisfying a child's curiosity by helping the child understand how things work. The child learns about different problem-solving techniques. Moreover, early reading sparks a child's imagination and creativity.

Early readers typically relate to their peers in a more confident status, given that they are already recognized for their accomplishments and competent status. As such, your child has a higher social status, which, in turn, improves their self-confidence and self-image. This is in addition to the fact that their strong reading skills allow them to communicate in writing or verbally more effectively. Furthermore, the ability to recognize more words by sight enables children to learn more about and from the environment.

4Reading Improves Brain Development

Research into early child development has shown that our rate of learning is fastest from childbirth to the age of six. We are born with active brain cells that continuously form new connections and are typically strengthened by engaging in activities such as reading. Reading to your child and teaching them to read can have a positive outcome on their brain's health and function that will last throughout their lives.

Generally speaking, a baby is born with 25% of the brain of an adult. However, by the time they are three years old, the brain will have grown to 80% of that of an adult. As such, it is not surprising that throughout brain development, kids exposed to early literacy and language skills end up being exceptional readers later. A child will develop literacy skills before being able to read, just as they develop language skills before being able to speak.

5A Love Of Reading Means A Love Of Learning

Research shows that we tend to carry the attitudes about learning and reading we developed when we were young into our school lives and adulthood. Therefore, when we learn to love reading as a child, we learn to love everything about learning. Consequently, a child is more inclined to love school and feels less intimidated or scared of going to school.

While parenting is the most important job for many parents, it does not have to be ever so serious. Always remember that to have a genuine love for something, one must enjoy it. As such, read to your child, discuss everything you have read, and fall in love with the process of teaching your child as your child falls in love with reading and learning.

6Reading Has A Positive Effect On Parent-Child Bonding

There are enormous benefits to accrue from the parent-child bonding experience that takes place over books. By taking the time to read your child a story, you show your child that you intentionally pay attention to them and that you create time to spend together. It would be best if you build an emotional connection with your children, more so in today's technology-saturated world.

If you have a busy schedule, dedicating some time to read together with your child, typically at the end of the day, will create a space for the child's and parents' minds to meet, which is crucial for the development of the kids. It is easy for you to take the ability to focus for granted. However, your kids need to learn this skill, and they will better learn this skill from a loving and caring adult, which, in this case, is their parents or caregiver. Research has shown that reading with kids (reading the text, exploring the pictures, and talking about it) can enhance a child's ability to pay attention and improve their language skills and emotional and social outcomes.

7Reading Leads To Improved Communication Skills

Young readers are better capable of developing correct grammar and language skills. They form a larger and more complex personal vocabulary than their non-reading counterparts and understand the ability to use context cues to infer the meaning of new and unfamiliar words. Research also shows that young readers are better capable of general communication. Reading allows children to develop the ability to ask questions, wait and take in the answers, and explore the information acquired from a variety of perspectives.

Reading is excellent at helping your children improve their communication skills and proficiency; it exposes the children to a wide variety of vocabulary and enhances their language acquisition, which, in turn, enables your kids to communicate with exceptional clarity and ease. Parents always want to talk with their kids openly and clearly. As such, effective communication will benefit the young child and the entire family at large. This will improve the relationship between kids and their parents.

Every parent wants what is best for their kids. As a parent, you are probably aware of the importance of ensuring your child is a fluent reader who enjoys reading and is confident as well. You can help your kid learn to love reading and start his or her journey in reading.

We learn a lot about life and people from reading, including poems, stories, and non-fiction work; reading to your child regularly for fun will come in handy. It is also essential to note that parents are crucial educators of their children. As a parent, it is never too young to start reading to your child, even if you read for a few minutes only.