Reading is one habit that every child should pick up at such a young age. However, its benefits are sometimes overlooked that early childhood tends to be geared more towards fun and play over reading activities.
But reading does not necessarily have to be boring. With the right approach, reading can be a huge part of all the fun and games, too.
How beneficial is reading at an early age?
You don’t necessarily have to wait until the children under your care are able to talk or read properly before incorporating reading activities into your early childhood program. In fact, there is no better time to get started in encouraging them to read than now.
Here’s why:
- Neurological Benefits
Did you know that the first 6 years of a child’s life is also the period when their brain is at its finest? Their brains are like sponges, absorbing every piece of information that it comes across in an instant.
Babies are born with around 200 billion active brain cells, all waiting for the right kind of stimulation so that they can start connecting to each other to store more information. The moment a parent or an educator talks, sings, or reads to their children, these connections are strengthened and new links between brain cells are formed. All these connections, when put together, form the foundation of the child’s ability to learn.
This means that your role as an early childhood educator is critical. And one way for you to make the most out of your role would be to encourage reading in your classes as often as possible. Not only will this allow them to hone their reading skills at an early age, it would also make them grow fond of books and would start seeing it as an enjoyable activity instead of a mere part of their daily school burden.
- Educational Benefits
The moment a child starts developing a love for reading, they also develop a love for learning. This means that the moment they’re ready for the big schools, they would always automatically strive for excellence in everything that they do.
Did you know that reading also improves a child’s attention span and helps them concentrate better? This will also be a great help in trying to develop a child’s future study habits and learning strategies.
It is also noticeable that kids who gain the habit of reading at an early age have a wider vocabulary, better spelling and grammar, and are more articulate when it comes to oral communication.
Early childhood readers are able to recognize large groups of words right away, making them faster and more effective readers in the future. This larger perspective also enables them to learn more from their environment.
Through the years, they will continue to show signs of being more advanced than their peers. In fact, studies show that those who were encouraged to read earlier receive higher grades than other kids their age across different subjects.
- Psychological Benefits
Whether it is done by a parent or a caregiver, a child who was encouraged to read at a young age often prove to be more independent as they grow older. Studies also show that they have more self-confidence compared to other kids.
Through reading, they become more curious and are more eager to learn more about people, places and things. Because of this curiosity, they become critical thinkers. They always try to find fitting explanations for every problem or challenge they encounter, and they often apply creativity in their problem-solving techniques.
The quiet time they get when reading a book also allows them to control their boosts of physical energy. They learn how to appreciate these calm moments, and this often gives way to a closer relationship between educator and student.
- Social Benefits
Because one of the psychological merits of reading at an early age is the amount of confidence that a child develops, it is also expected that they would be able to interact with other people more effectively. They know what they are capable of, and this makes them more self-assured.
Seeing how huge the benefits of early childhood reading are, it should be more exciting to add more reading activities to your class’s daily schedule. This should help you maximize their little brains’ potential and mould them into even more amazing members of the society.
Making Reading Fun
This is where the problem lies.
Especially if these kids are not encouraged to read as much at home, reading can seem like a boring activity for a lot of kids. This is why as an educator, the change needs to start with you.
Here are a few tips on how you can make reading a classroom activity that every child will look forward to:
- The Right Books for the Right Age
Pick a book that’s too easy, and the child will easily get bored. Pick a book that’s too hard, and the child will end up feeling frustrated.
Always have a wide collection in your library that caters to every age group there is. This way, you can make sure that you will have the right kind of books for the right child.
Usually, the younger the kids are, the more pictures you want on those books. As they get older, the sentences become longer and the words are more complicated.
Find out how many kids you’ll be having for each age group as well. This way, you can make sure that you’ll have enough books for everybody without having to give one child or two a book that’s not appropriate for their age just because you ran out of other choices.
- Let Them Choose
Instead of always being the one who decides what book to read, leave that decision up to the kids. They’re the ones who will be reading it anyway, so might as well let them pick one that would pique their interest the moment they lay their eyes on it.
This would also help them feel like they have more control, something that small kids love, especially toddlers and pre-schoolers. This also ensures that you are trying to make them read something that is already interesting to them, instead of just forcing them to read something they do not like (which could completely take the fun away and ruin the experience for them!).
- Environment is Everything
Fix your reading area the way a doctor would and you have kids running towards the opposite direction. Make your reading area a cool place to hangout though, and you’ll have kids wanting to stay there all the time.
Make your reading area fun and colourful and make sure the kids will be comfortable enough even if they stay there for hours.
- Your Attitude Dictates Their Attitude
The way you act during reading time will always affect the way the kids will see it. The moment you let a frustrated sigh escape before the activity starts, those kids will start blocking out ever fun thing that’s going to happen. The moment they see you lose interest, they’ll start losing interest as well.
Have fun and enjoy your reading time so that will be encouraged to find the fun in it as well. Think of fun ways to lighten up their mood and make their attitude about reading better. You can add voices to the characters as you read with them, or act out story books to make them more interesting. You can even make up games based on the books you read.
- Pump Them Up
The storytelling does not have to start the moment you open the book. It can actually start the moment you show them the cover.
Especially if the book they choose to read has an interesting cover, start the discussion from there. What do they think about what they see? Can they guess what the book is all about? Pump them up and make them super excited to read the book. You’ll see their interest grow as the excitement mounts.
- Follow Through
Just as you made them excited before opening the book, don’t let the excitement die down after the book is closed. Follow through and discuss about the book so that you can ensure understanding, especially if there’s a good lesson to be learned.
For example, you can ask them what their favourite parts are about the book and ask them to act it out. You can even ask them what they didn’t like about the story and ask them to think of a better way they would have made things turn out.
See? Reading does not have to be a burden to the kids in your class, and it definitely does not have to be a burden for them. By building strong readers at such an early age, you, as an educator, truly fulfil your role as one of the primary influences of their future success.
Special thanks to Morgan for the main image.
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