Have you wondered how you can improve your child’s early learning as a young child (before they speak or read on their own)?
Reading aloud with your child is one of the best ways to improve your child’s early learning. Research (here, here, and here) has shown that young children whose parents read aloud with them at young ages will have improved learning when they reach pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.
Reading is a vital part of our every day lives. As parents, reading with our children is one of the easiest and best ways to help our children in all stages of learning. (See also my post on How to Raise an Avid Reader.)
5 Benefits to Reading Aloud with your Child
Improved Phonenic awareness at an early age
Age appropriate books will help your child start to recognize sounds and similar sounds (rythming words) the early basis for reading. Books like Dr. Seuss are filled with word families to help young children start to recognize phonenic blends.
Three and four years old are able to recognize letters on a page and know the sound each letter makes. Once children can recognize the sound, they can start blending word basics and word families.
Encouraging early phonenic awareness will help your child as they advance their reading skills.
Improved Love of Reading at an Early Age
Do you love to read? Do you want your children to growing up loving to read? Reading aloud to them as young children will help them associate reading as an enjoyable and relaxing activity and help them grow up with a love of reading too.
Improved Language Skills
Reading aloud with your child will help improve your child’s language skills (even for children who do not speak yet). Reading aloud will expand your child’s words and vocabulary exposing them to new words and ideas. Children with broader language and vocabulary will do better in school.
Improved Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension comes from many factors, not just being able to read the exact words on the page. Reading many stories at an early age will give your child a much broader base of background knowledge. Later, when they read new stories that reference previously read stories they will be able to make the connections and improve their comprehension.
For example, if you read this sentence, “It was like a Shakespearean love story.” If you had not read any of Shakespeare’s plays, you would not understand the meaning of this statement.
Improved Closeness with Your Child
Reading aloud with your child allows parents (and grandparents) special time with your child. Great stories you read together will be remembered for a long time. My son will frequently reference stories we have read in the past by saying things like, “Remember when we read that story about….” or “It’s like when we read that story about ….”
Reading aloud with your child has many benefits including improved vocabulary, reading comprehension and early phonenic awareness. Don’t stop reading aloud once your child can read for themselves. Older children enjoy reading aloud with parents too.
Bookroo – A Great Way to Develop Your Home Library
I am always building my home library. I add books for my children and myself. Bookroo is a monthly program that will deliver age appropriate books for young children right to your home each month. You can order books for your child or send them as a gift (what a great idea for a baby shower gift or birthday).
Bookroo offers options to send 1-month, 3-month and 6-month subscription. You can also select Board books or picture books.
Bookroo will add to your child’s enjoyment reading as they receive a special package in the mail each month (children love to receive special mail just for them).
As a special offer, Bookroo has offered my readers a special $4.00 off coupon if you use this link.
Take some time and read aloud with your child today. What is your favorite book to read aloud?
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