April is DEAR month, time to Drop Everything And READ! There are so many reasons to read aloud to and with your children...
I'm going to think of ten reasons right here:
- Children love to snuggle close or just sit near their parents and have that undivided attention and time.
- The sound of Mom's or Dad's voice is reassuring and calming to children, feeding their souls.
- Hearing parents read and sounding out words themselves develops early language, including auditory processing skills.
- Listening and comprehending are necessary skills that is grow when children hear parents read interesting books to them.
- Exploring the library together and bringing home stacks of books helps you get to know and develop your child's interests.
- Reading good quality books opens up new worlds to your child.
- Children who read about other countries and cultures become more accepting of new people and new ideas.
- Books shared give new topics of conversation while riding in the car or having meals together.
- For older children, shared reading and discussion cultivates higher level thinking skills and good working vocabularies.
- Learning to read that longer book develops powers of concentration and a sense of accomplishment.
- We learn to write well by reading many books by gifted writers. Strong readers are therefore better at expressing themselves in writing.
There! I gave eleven reasons, and I could go on, but my new books are calling... I'm going to drop everything and read tonight!