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The Benefits of Establishing Early Reading Habits

Reading is one of the most essential skills to learn and it is important to develop strong reading habits from a young age. Reading is vital to every child’s future, not just in academics, but also to create a great personality, even though it might not impact it directly, the effect it has on vocabulary, knowledge, speech, and confidence will definitely improve the personality to a greater extent. It is also a requirement for lifelong success.  

Because books are a rich source of knowledge and information, it is important to encourage children to read as many books as possible from various genres, so they can build interests in different fields. 

There are several reasons why reading habits should be inculcated in children at an early age, here are a few of them: 

• Reading increases the attention-span in children, and helps them to focus better and for a longer period of time. 
• Because reading exposes children to new words and demonstrates different ways of using vocabulary on a daily basis, improving communication skills.  
• Reading is a comprehension process; therefore, it builds better analytical thinking skills. 
• Because reading encourages curiosity, it improves the thirst for knowledge, leading to curious people who will keep asking questions and searching for answers. 

A new study shows the impact of reading books versus screen time in the early years of a child’s development. #EdtTech is central to the mission of @ReadingGCD, as it provides children access to books in languages/regions in which no such resources exist! https://t.co/e8uuAKKqz0

— All Children Reading (@ReadingGCD) January 23, 2020

How Parents can Encourage their Child to Read More

Children who are encouraged to read at a young age are more likely to enjoy reading later in life.  

Sometimes kids don’t like to read even when parents try their best to instil good reading habits. The bright side of this is that there are many ways to encourage children to read.  

First of all, leading by example is the best way to start. Create a reading area at home, where both parent and child can spend time every night reading a book. Not only does this create a good habit but reading before bed aids sleep and it boosts the brainpower. The brain is a muscle and like other muscles in the human body, it needs to work out to be healthy. Reading is a challenging activity, more than speaking or processing images, because it involves several brain functions.

Encouraging kids to read outside of the home is also good practice. They will learn that reading is not just about books when they are reading menus, road signs, instructions, etc. 

Whenever kids finish reading a book, always encourage them to express and discuss their thoughts about it.  Making these connections between real life and reading helps kids feel empathy for the characters and become more invested in the story. Eventually, they will make connections to the world and it opens the door to some big concepts and understandings.  

Last but not least, do your kids a favour a take them to your local library. 

Library Role

Every public library should promote the development of knowledge and support child-oriented projects for families. Librarians play an important role in their development because they contribute to their cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being.  

Literacy learning requires instruction and practice and it happens through different stages, that’s why libraries with spaces dedicated to children and their families should be ready to meet their present and future needs. It’s important that children’s librarians are able to deliver messages by talking, writing, reading, singing and playing during storytime, family workshops and other kinds of events. 

“Children should be able to rely on libraries for their right to information and education and children’s librarians are at the forefront of promoting children’s rights as they play a key role in literacy development and disseminating information about the importance of literacy and reading” 

The quality of services at libraries, relies heavily on their staff and according to IFLA, there are several aspects to be considered when choosing the librarian responsible for the children’s department. This particular Librarian: 

• Understands child development and psychology; 
• Can identify the needs of all children and their families; 
• Cultivates a welcoming and supportive environment for children and families; 
• Is a great communicator; 
• Is able to design and evaluate fun and engaging programs; 
• Supports inclusion. 

In a #refugee camp in #Kenya, @eLimuKenya created new books to teach literacy to children and adults based on stories the refugees grew up with. The project showed a 4x improvement in Somali #reading fluency for users of the app! @ICTworks #EdTech https://t.co/2CLZdVoi8D

— All Children Reading (@ReadingGCD) January 25, 2020

Your local library helps

Reading is a complex activity with multiple benefits and is the key for lifelong success. It is vital to create reading habits in children and the parents have a very important role, since they are their first example. Children who are encouraged to read, are most likely to enjoy reading later in life, but also develop several skills that will help them improve their personality and build a healthier brain.  

There are several ways to inculcate reading habits, which includes going to a local library. The library plays an important role in the community and offers equal access to information and education. Through their programs and staff knowledge, they support children’s development.  

We will be back next week with another interesting article from the library world!

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