WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
- Reading to a child for 30 minutes per day from
infancy helps prepare a child to learn.
A five-year old who has not been read to daily will enter kindergarten with far fewer hours of "literacy nutrition" than a child who has been read to daily from infancy. No teacher, no matter how talented, can make up for those lost hours.
- Children develop much of their capacity for learning
in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90% of their
eventual adult weight.
When parents talk, sing, and read to their child, links among the child's brain cells are strengthened and new cells and links are formed.
- Play is the work of young children.
From the first lullaby to dramatization of a favorite story, music and other creative arts can stimulate language and literacy development. Parents can help build pre-literacy skills through dramatic play and one-on-one interaction.
- Many pediatricians believe that a child who has
never held a book or listened to a story is not a fully healthy child.
Reading aloud to young children is so critical that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that doctors prescribe reading activities along with other advice given to parents at regular check-ups.
- Preschoolers with large vocabularies tend to become
proficient readers. Parents who talk and read with their children can
greatly enhance their vocabularies.
- Parents are truly their children's first and most
important teachers. It is clear that parents should not leave to schools
alone the important tasks of language and literacy development.
- Reading to a child for 30 minutes per day from
infancy helps prepare a child to learn.
A five-year old who has not been read to daily will enter kindergarten with far fewer hours of "literacy nutrition" than a child who has been read to daily from infancy. No teacher, no matter how talented, can make up for those lost hours.
- Adults pass on to children their own expectations
about education and achievement, both positive and negative.
Shared enthusiasm about books and reading between a parent and child can deepen the child's interest in learning to read. Children who learn from parents that reading is fun may be more likely to sustain efforts to learn to read when the going gets tough.
Source: America Reads: What You Can Do, U.S.
Department of Education
