Of course, we don’t know how often or how long you read to your child, but reading to and with your child is one way to help them grow – in their language skills, their ability to attend (pay attention for the duration of the book) and academic success.
Young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to, a new study found. This ‘million word gap’ could be one key in explaining differences in vocabulary and reading development.
As a parent, that is a great incentive to read to your child. It’s not just very young children that enjoy reading with a caregiver. Even upper elementary and middle school aged children enjoy listening to books read aloud. When reading aloud with older children, it’s best to choose a book that is 1 – 2 grades above their reading level. This encourages vocabulary development as you can stop and explain the meaning of a word or a concept.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting your child’s screen time to correlate their age – the number of hours PER WEEK (a 4 year old could watch 4 hours a WEEK). From the AAP website: “Reading aloud with young children is one of the most effective ways to expose them to enriched language and to encourage specific early literacy skills needed to promote school readiness.” If you don’t already have reading to your child as part of your daily routine, now is the day to start!
Ingrid Weland, Ed.D.
Montessori Curriculum Coordinator
