Some parents think that their child's reading program starts when their child heads to school. Unfortunately, those parents who wait until their child is of school-age to work on reading are putting him at a disadvantage. From infancy on, the earlier your child is exposed to reading and reading programs, the greater leg up he will have when he goes to school.
Reading Preparation
When your child completes a reading program at an early age, she may not be able to sound out words and read proficiently. As you read to her, point out letters and sound them out, she begins to understand the sounds of letters, how a story is put together, and identify rhyming and repetitive patterns. This will serve her well in the future, as she begins to read and recognizes those patterns. It will eventually help her to read and understand material.
Language and Reading Comprehension
A simple story as part of an early childhood reading program may delight and captivate its audience. Children who are exposed to reading early in life will learn better reading comprehension, says Dorothy S. Strickland, Ph.D., Samuel DeWitt Proctor Professor of Education at Rutgers University. Children who practice reading or are read to at an early age have the distinct advantage of proficient reading comprehension.
Communication Skills
The words of a book are often new and confusing to a child in a reading program. But once she hears the words and understands what they mean, she'll become more comfortable using them in her daily life, notes the BrainWonders project. Reading stories about relationships and communications teaches her what words to use for different situations. For instance, books about saying "hello," "goodbye" and "sorry" help her to hone her own communication skills.
School Readiness
An early childhood reading program will involve a certain amount of self-control and discipline for a small child. This serves as good practice for the schedule and discipline necessary for school. With the right amount of reading and teaching, school will be less of a shock to her than to a child who has not been exposed to any type of structured learning and reading programs.
Lifelong Learning
Dorothy S. Strickland, Ph.D., touts the importance of early literacy programs by explaining that teaching your child how to learn early in life will set him up for efficiency in learning. Starting your child on an early childhood reading program gives him the tools necessary to instill a lifelong love of learning.
