Childhood Reading--And Learning--Starts At Home
By Kent Johnson
If you want your pre-school kids to be better students when they get into
school, you need to get involved and set up the proper home environment. A
child’s literacy development begins at home, and by having children’s books
around the house and reading aloud to your child, you’ll give their learning
development a jump start that should carry them well into their school years
and beyond.
Now spending this kid of education time with your children can be a
challenge, especially if you’re a single parent. In today’s busy world,
there are financial responsibilities, obligations to your spouse or partner,
and the stress of running a household and keeping things together. And many
kids would rather watch television or play a video game than read a
children’s book. But you need to find the time to sit down with your
children and go over reading fundamentals on an ongoing basis.
Many parents realize this, of course. And some have even gone to the extreme
of hiring tutors for their pre-school children. I’m not necessarily in favor
of this tactic - kids need time to play and be kids, and there will be
enough pressure on them to perform once they get in school.
Unfortunately, there are many other parents who feel it’s the school
system’s sole responsibility to educate their children. Some of these
parents didn’t receive any literacy instruction from their own parents when
they were children, so they don’t feel that it’s necessary for them to do
that for their kids. This can be especially true in economically-deprived
families. The power of knowledge in others can make them feel inadequate,
while negative appraisals of their children by teachers, becomes a negative
comment about their lives as a whole.
But it’s vitally important for all parents to understand the importance of
reading at home with their pre-schoolers. Sit down with your kids and open
up a children’s book. Personalized children’s books are especially valuable
in that the child’s name is printed right into the storyline, allowing kids
to identify with the story and much more involved in the reading process.
Children will often read a personalized book many times, and this helps to
foster a love and reading and learning in pre-schoolers.
Beyond reading children’s books, there are other activities parents and pre-schoolers
can engage in to promote childhood literacy. For example, you can pull
products out of your cupboards and practice reading labels. This has the
added benefit of teaching the child which household products are dangerous,
and should be avoided. You could also have your child help in balancing the
family checkbook, make out the weekly grocery list, fill out greeting cards,
or write letters and emails to distant friends and family.
So don’t leave your pre-schooler’s education entirely to chance, or even the
school system. Learning begins in the home, and children usually respond
better to the important role models in their lives. If they see their
parents reading the newspaper, or helping them read a children’s book, then
they’re much more likely to view these activities in a positive light. And
who knows, they might even volunteer to turn off the television for a few
minutes and read a story or nursery rhyme instead.
