Reading: Turn It On!
Reading is the foundational skill for success in school and life. Reading opens the gateway to other learning. The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children. This is especially true during the pre-school years (National Commission on Reading).
The part of the human brain that develops critical visual and learning skills needs to be stimulated early and often. Young children learn by gentle repetition, thus reading aloud literally wires a child’s brain for eventually learning to read. Research shows that children enter kindergarten with as wide range as five-years in their literacy-related skills. Some come with skills typical of three-year olds. Others function at a level of typical eight-year olds (Jeri Riley, University of London). The “achievement gap” originates during the early years--from birth through age five, and often persists throughout the rest of the school years.
Read Aloud with Your Child
We invite you to begin a parenting practice, which will impact your child for the rest of his or her life. Read aloud with your child 20 minutes every day. “Children who have been read to 20 minutes a day from birth receive 600 hours of literacy experience by the time they enter kindergarten” (National Children’s Reading Foundation).
Parents who cannot read well themselves can still provide great literacy experiences for their children by telling them stories from their lives, from their imaginations or from pictures in books. Read to your children in your native language. Children become good readers when their parents read to them. It is as simple as that (Jim Trelease).
A great goal for parents would be to make sure every child in the family reads at or above grade level upon completion of the third grade. Why? Third grade is a critical juncture in a child’s life. Through third grade children learn to read: after third grade they read to learn. Students who are not reading on grade level by the third grade quickly fall behind their classmates and approximately 70% of them never catch up (National Children’s Reading Foundation). Some children have no trouble achieving this goal while others may struggle throughout their entire lives. Perhaps you are the parent of such a child. What can you do? Keep on playing your important role as educational advocate and parent partner throughout your child’s schooling. Your student may need additional help to master learning challenges. It is time for parent and family support. It is time for family-school-partnerships. Work closely with your child’s classroom teacher. Find out what is expected of your child. What competencies must be mastered at their grade level? Never lose sight that you too are your child’s teacher at home.
A Few Bright Ideas
With your family read newspapers, magazines, recipes, game instructions, labels on prescriptions and clothing, road signs, maps, advertisements, billboards, greeting cards, cereal boxes, job application, drivers license, birth certificate, etc.
- Talk about what you are learning about how important reading is to function on a daily basis.
- Litter your home with books: Can you find a ways to put books into every room of you’re your home?
- Get library cards for everyone in your family. Use them often.
- Read aloud stories about your ancestors/elders. As a family write an article about them.
Pretend it will be featured in the local newspaper. - Let your children see you reading.
- Read in the dark with a flashlight.