How Reading Helps Your Children

How many of your children actually know how to read? Obviously they all do. How many of them read fluently? Not as many. Reading levels are only declining each year.

In this day when television is the major source of news and entertainment, who needs to read? The answer is everyone. Reading is the only form of entertainment that is also an essential life skill. It is something you can do no matter where you are. The ability to read will help them comprehend subjects better at school. One will find that most children with learning disabilities have a problem with reading and related language skills. Children with poor reading skills end up receiving poor grades, get easily distracted and frustrated, have behaviour problems, seem to dislike like school and often fail to develop to their full potential.

Research shows that reading helps

• To write better
• To concentrate better
• Process new information in a better manner
• Develop other interests when you know more about them
• Develop an ability to understand how others think and feel
• Become more open to new ideas
• Stay well informed and talk well
• Keep the mind active well into old age

Reading opens a window to the world. It helps children score well in a competitive exam, it can reduce the last minute dependence on general knowledge books. A good reading practice does not mean reading only fiction, non-fiction, magazines, or newspapers. It also means reading an insurance policy, land agreements, instructions for a contest, putting together a new computer, playing a new game or even qualifications for a job they aspire for.

Possessing good reading skills helps one understand both sides of an issue, figure out the best offer in a package, write an ideal school assignment, choose a suitable career option and learn to think for yourself.

Here are some tips and suggestions to keep in mind while reading to children.

• Start reading to your baby right from infancy. Infants and toddlers have a low attention span so be prepared to deal with distractions.
• As you read to your child, point to the words so that they begin to realise the sounds that come from saying each word.
• For young children read rhymes and stories with repetition. Get them to complete the sentences for you. Read books in a series with familiar characters.
• Check with your child's school about the kind of books they recommend. By talking to their teachers and participating in learning activities, you give your child a great advantage.

"The more you read, the more you know; and the more you know, the smarter you grow." - Jim Trelease, educator and author