51吃瓜网

By Mary Reid

鈥淩eading to your children gives them a lifetime of happiness,鈥� says Elizabeth,听my 23-year-old daughter, an avid reader.

When our two children were preschool age, their father鈥檚 career required him to be away from home until evening almost every day. By the time he made it home just before dinner, I was ready for some assistance. Every night after dinner he took charge of the kids for 45 minutes. They all piled onto our big bed with lots of pillows, the children鈥檚 favorite stuffed animals, and a stack of books. He started reading to them before they could walk and continued until they were in second and fourth grade, respectively. There鈥檚 no telling how many books he read or how many times he reread their favorites. As the children matured, he began reading chapter books in nightly installments.听 听

I don鈥檛 know about that promised lifetime of happiness, but as a pre-K teacher I now know how important it is to read to young children. I attribute much of my children鈥檚 academic success to the hours their father gave to reading aloud to them.

Reading to a young child is important for several reasons:

• It builds your relationship with the child.听There鈥檚 always something to talk about鈥攖he characters, the action, how it makes you feel and why. And all the language you share in conversation is an amazing learning experience for the child听
• 鈥�It teaches rhythm.听Children need exposure to the rhythm of language. What better way to teach it than with a silly book like听Who Stole the Cookies From the Cookie Jar?
• It teaches rhyme,听another essential skill when learning to read. Read nursery rhymes aloud and repeat them often with your child. 鈥淟ittle Boy Blue鈥� and 鈥淢ary Had a Little Lamb鈥� should be on your reading list as well as other old favorites.
• It strengthens focus and attention span.听If you say, 鈥淢y 3-year-old won鈥檛 sit and listen to a book,鈥� try a wordless book with bright, colorful photos that interest her (e.g., dogs, trucks, butterflies). Focused attention is a necessary skill for later learning.
• It teaches new vocabulary.听When you read books like听Is Your Mama a Llama?,听by Deborah Guarino, animal names and their babies鈥� names become a natural part of the conversation. Did you know a baby llama is called a cria? Your 3-year-old may even recognize the names of some animals when your play group visits the zoo.

When you read with your child, you cozy up with him and a good book because it鈥檚 fun. The time spent together is irreplaceable. No, you don鈥檛 set out to teach your child when you read to him. But it happens.听

And maybe you鈥檒l also give your child a lifetime of happiness.

听Mary Reid taught Pre-K and Kindergarten for 11 years in the public school system in Villa Rica, GA. In the fall of 2015, she began a new adventure teaching pre-service teachers at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, GA.听