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| Image taken from Pinterest |
In one of our posts, we talked about how to bring stories alive through a variety of extension activities. Learning how to read is an important part of every child's learning and development. However, reading is more than just decoding words and practising phonics. The process of reading creates opportunities for children to develop holistically.
Print awareness (also called concepts of print)
Print awareness draws connection between written language to oral language. Children can develop print awareness before they know how to read and it is fundamental in supporting the children in learning how to read.
Some examples of Print Awareness:
- How to turn pages
- How to hold a book
- Identify the front and back covers
- Identify the title
- Reading from left to right, top to bottom
- Spaces appear between words
- Words are made up of letters
Language acquisition
Book language is often more formal and descriptive than conversational language. The more often you read to your child, the more they hear proper sentence structure and the use of different types of expressions. Reading a variety of books can also help to expand the children's vocabulary.
Social and Emotional development
Stories are extremely useful when it comes to teaching children new values and supporting their character development. Values are abstract concepts that can be challenging for children to understand. In storybooks, these concepts are presented in the characters' personal stories. This encourages the children to empathise with the characters and visualise values in the examples portrayed in the story.
Creativity and Imagination
Reading allows children to explore people, places, times and events beyond their own experiences. Children are encouraged to be creative and imagine a world outside of theirs. It also helps the children differentiate between "make believe" and "real", which is an important cognitive skill.
Inspired to encourage more reading? Head to the nearest library with your child tomorrow!