Indeed, the basic skills taught in school are generally prerequisites for a successful life. For instance, if people lack the essential literacy skills required in today’s society, they are more likely to be unemployed, work in lower-paying jobs and live in low-income households. (The Value of Words: Literacy and Economic Security in Canada, The Center for International Statistics, Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD), 1998)Preparedness for school is an important factor in a child’s eventual success in school. Parents are the frontline in their child’s learning, especially during the formative years, and are responsible for helping expose their children to skills such as reading and writing years before school starts.
Children are essentially sponges who are hardwired to learn as soon as they are out of the womb. However, they require learning stimuli from their primary caregivers to tap into this ability.
Parents who foster and model a good learning environment will be rewarded on more levels than one.
Studies have clearly demonstrated that learning from a young age (with a primary caregiver) is important for a child’s development. For instance, neurological studies show that simply reading aloud to your child, as early as the age of 18 months, will impact their cognitive development. (Early Years Study Final Report: Reversing the Real Brain Drain, Government of Ontario, 1999)
If parents persist in this kind of reading routine throughout their child’s formative years, they will show ease of learning and preparedness when they reach school in areas such as reading, comprehension and math.
Reading can also be credited with inspiring many a child’s imagination and creativity. Most of us can remember our very first favourite book and how we re-enacted the story in our minds countless times.
Nonetheless, as much as children look forward to getting lost in a tale found in the pages of a book, there is something they look forward to even more.
Mom and dad will agree, reading is a form of bonding that makes everyone involved feel a sense of warmth, comfort and security, as well as increased self-worth. (How to Raise a Reader, 1987)
Reading is a versatile learning tool that can be done one-on-one, as a family, or by oneself.
And the opportunities for learning are everywhere; today’s busy parents need only look around for the signs. Signs such as those found in the subway, mall or bank, can be turned into learning aides for a caregiver on the go.
For children under 2 years old, you can begin with show and tell for objects on signs to exercise their object recognition abilities. As they get older, let children get involved in reading with mom or dad. For instance, give your child the comics section of the newspaper while you read the business or news section, all the while having breakfast as a family.
Reading can be used to alleviate some of the stress of long car rides. Just pop in a video in the DVD player, and put the subtitles on to encourage reading to compliment the visual, or listen to a book-on-tape, and let your children create the visual story with their imagination.
Technology is a great learning tool, especially since children tend to be curious about computer, TV’s and stereos. Do things such as surfing children’s sites together, or help them to do searches on subjects that interest them.
As for a fun family learning activity, try setting a date for family karaoke night.
Evidently, the benefits of reading together go far beyond just preparing a child for academic success. With activities like these, you will have all family members looking forward to reading time.
Start a new reading tradition in honour of the 10th annual Family Literacy Day anniversary on January 27th, and make reading a part of your family everyday.
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