Reading to toddlers is a vital part of child development; it fosters a love of reading in later life. However that is not its primary function, hearing sounds and rhymes help a child develop language skills which are a vital arsenal in effective communication. Children’s brains are like a sponge they soak up information and they learn quickly and easily a whole range of skills when they are read to. It should not be a chore but an integral part of their day.
Reading with babies may seem like a monumental waste of time, yet it is very important to foster a love of literature in a child. Not because it is important for toddlers to read but because it is important for toddlers to explore their world and books should be an integral part of that. A toddler learns to explore life through the medium of language and reading a book to a child’s and pointing at pictures helps them develop language skills, which are in later life communication skills. Sometimes it does seem that toddlers do not learn from books especially when they ask for the same stories over and over again. From a learning perspective it allows children to begin to relate what he or she is hearing orally to what appears on the page.
When reading to a child it is important to remember that there will be a big difference as to what you find interesting and what toddlers find interesting. This of course can make reading to toddlers a chore. However it is not a job that should be rushed, as toddlers need a break in the reading so that you can point to the pictures and show them something that makes the book clearer. Not all children want to be read to in the same way.
Some children like the same stories exactly word for word perfect, whilst others like hearing the names of their friends as one of the characters. It is important to understand what your child wants. Reading should be a ritual at a certain time, when they are on your lap or tucked into bed. However not all children like being still when you are reading to them, some of them like to stand up and overview the book.
Hearing rhymes has been proven to improve your child’s language skills the sounds off the words help to understand the meanings. A collection of classic nursery rhymes can be part of a child’s reading from a very early age. When reading to very small toddlers you do not have to read to them for a long periods of time, just a few minutes is normally sufficient.
Repetitions are good for toddlers again it reinforces their early learning skills. Encourage them to join in with what you are reading by repeating certain things after you especially sound. Simple predictable stories with ending help children make sense of their world. Before a child is three is the tie in their lives when they learn most of their capacity for reading. All forms of communication with their kids help to reinforce connections in children’s brain and help them form new connections. All of these things are vital stages of child development.
Another positive aspect of reading to toddlers is that by asking questions you are encouraging their sense of critical thinking, because you are questioning what they have understood and kindles their interest in the story. Sounds are great props, which help make reading fun for toddlers, use a whistle or rice in a glass jar. Although children often do not learn to reads until they are in school vital skills that they will need later to make sense of letters’ are forged when you read to them as toddlers. The process of learning actually starts at birth not five years of age.
Children must learn to hear something before they can say it and once they can say it they can learn to read it. There is no timetable to start learning because as a process it starts before a child is born. Reading lessons to a toddler are not only reinforced by sound but also by letters. Have collages of letters on the walls of a child room, both big and small letters so that you can point to them. The chances are when you were small you had a collage with letters and pictures of apples and bears! There are many resources to make children’s development more fun, they are books, crayons and crayola and a child can use them all to learn without hte learning curve being a chore.
