We know that you want your little guy or gal to have the best start. The greatest thing you can do for your child is to provide a home filled with love and laughter. Spend as much time as you can with your child. Add lots of great children’s books and read and cuddle with him as much as possible. Enjoy exploring his world and showing him things. Cherish each day with him—don’t be in a hurry to see him grow, but enjoy what each stage brings. These young years are a gift from God for your benefit—to make “your” memories!
And some of the best memories for us, as parents, are those special, quiet times when our child curls up in our lap, listening attentively to a story he has heard at least 25 times already. This is an extraordinary experience for our children. It is their special time with mom or dad, when everything else is put aside. It’s a time to cuddle, speak together, and to discover new things about the world around them. And while we don’t say it, our actions show our children that they are worth our attention and that we enjoy their company. We hope that one day they will love reading as much as we do.
In my first article in this series, Teaching Your Child to Read, I wrote about the importance of reading aloud to our children. Reading to children increases their knowledge of the world, their vocabulary, and their interest in reading. From being read to repeatedly, children learn that reading is enjoyable, that pictures provide clues to the story, that stories have a beginning and an end. By listening, watching, and asking questions, they add to their vocabulary and increase their comprehension. Repeated reading aloud not only helps children learn to read but also has an impact on school success. Lifelong enjoyment of reading is directly related to daily reading.
In this article I’ve summarized some basic reading aloud “techniques.” The suggestions are broken down by age level. I hope they are helpful tools in passing on the wondrous gift of reading for enjoyment.
Birth-Age 2
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