You're never too old, too whacky, too wild to pick up a book and read to a child.
March 2nd is Dr. Seuss Day and with local libraries opening again March 8th, it seems like a great time to talk about the benefits of reading aloud to your child. Do you know that reading aloud to your child increases your young child’s vocabulary by over one million words?
Rowan Jones from forreadingaddicts.co.uk, shared a study from the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics that showed “parents who read to their children are not only strengthening their bond but also increasing their chances at school.” The study shows that kids who are read one short book a day enter their first school years hearing almost 300,000 more words than those whose parents didn’t read to them at all. When parents read more than one book the number increases again; five books per day increases their vocabulary by 1.4 million words.
Here is the breakdown Rowan created from the study:
· Children who are never read to hear about 4,662 words by age 5
· Children who are read to 1-2 times per week hear about 63,570 words by age 5
· Children who are read to 3-5 times per week hear about 169,520 words by age 5
· Children who are read to daily hear about 296,660 words by age 5
· Children who are read 5 books per day hear about 1,483,300 words by age 5
Books teach children about relationships and how to handle upset and anxiety. Books teach children about animals, babies and tractors and cars. Fantasy books teach children how to use their imaginations. Young children learn about colors, shapes, numbers and letters, while older children expand their knowledge as they learn about space, insects, travel and dinosaurs through reading.
I asked some of our teachers to share their favorite children’s books with us for this post.
Ms. Vicki: I’m a huge fan of Dr. Seuss. My favorite is “Marvin K Mooney Will You Please Go Now” about a child who does not want to go to bed and fights it to the end.
Ms. Kay: I love “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”, mostly because my mom always read it to me when I was young.
Ms. Heather: I enjoy reading the children’s books through Native Northwest because they help build connection to indigenous cultures.
Ms. Daisy: I love reading “Pete the Cat” books, because they are all different.
Ms. Sara: The story “It’s a Tiger!” is a very interactive story for kids. They love to do the actions.
Ms. Britny: “The Kissing Hand” is a great book for all ages. It has a sweet message for when a kid misses his parents and offers a solution of a kiss in the hand. Ms. Addie also love this book because her mom read it to her when she was young and then gave Addie a kissing hand when she went to school.
Ms. Sherri: “Sigmund’s Birthday Surprise” is a story about a frog who gets a crocodile for his birthday. This book teaches feelings like surprise, sadness, and fear.
Ms Yvette: I love the Sophie Books from Conscious Discipline. The books are fun and teach social emotional skills.
Mr. Brian: “How to Replace a Transmission on a Chevy C5 Blazer”. I asked him if any kid ever listened to him read this. He replied, “The one that was in the garage helping me replace the transmission.”
There are many wonderful books to read aloud to children. Start with what interests your child, then introduce new stories and topics often. If you read the same story over and over with your child, try pausing at key moments and see if they remember the next words or phrase. Ask your child if they would like to “read” a story to you. Visit the library and let your child pick out books that look appealing to them. Talk about the cover illustrations and ask questions, such as, “What do you think this story is about?” “Why do you think there is a crocodile and a frog on the cover?”
Don’t forget to log your reading minutes for a free ticket to Silverwood for your child. Read 600 minutes by March 19thand turn that log in to Collette or Heather.
“The MORE that you read, the MORE things you will know. The MORE that you learn, the MORE places you’ll go.” Dr. Suess