Literacy experts worldwide agree that you shouldn’t bombard children with reading practices at an early age. While you should allow them to play and have as much fun as they want, introducing them to basic concepts, phonetics, and reading stories aloud is one of the best literacy strategies at an early age.

Your role as a parent is to provide your children with adequate guidance and a knowledge background to help them do better during the schooling period. This is where reading instruction at an early age can go a long way. To help you understand this approach, we will discuss a few practices and advantages.

Developing Phonemic Awareness

One thing most researchers agree on is that bedtime stories can be very beneficial. Apart from being a calming and fun experience for both of you, reading aloud will introduce your children to printed words directly correlated with phonemes and sounds. 

Phonemic awareness is strongly related to one’s ability to distinguish different sounds in words and the ability to name the letters they see in a text. This is where strategies such as running your finger under the print can be incredibly efficient. 

Why? Because, instead of your child looking at your mouth or the illustrations, they will switch their attention to the words you are pointing at. Plus, children at an early age are prone to mimicking, and this strategy may stimulate them to read on their own.

The Importance Of A Positive Relationship

When it comes to reading instruction at an early age, the essential point is to nurture a positive relationship with your children. You shouldn’t get mad if they don’t feel like listening to a story or if their attention is a bit off at that moment, especially if they are toddlers. 

On the other hand, when you see that they are eager and motivated to listen or even practice reading, you should be available and make the experience as inviting as possible. Choose a story that isn’t too complex but will allow you to introduce them to new concepts. Ask them to name or distinguish printed letters or words.

What Does Reading Development Depend On?

Reading is a skill that is going to be necessary for the rest of your child’s life. With that in mind, there are a couple of factors that affect the development process. 

First is vocabulary background. It is essential to start talking and mimicking responses as soon as they are born. That way, you will allow them to hear and comprehend many different words and phrases before you point to them in a text. 

Later on, reading depends on fluency and comprehension that children get better at with practice and by moving on to more complex stories. 

Concluding Thoughts

While some research suggests that you shouldn’t stimulate children into reading before they start preschool, other research has shown tremendous benefits. As long as listening and reading stories are entertaining for your child, they can reap benefits from early age instruction.