Today as promised, here is the most vital information about your child’s education and something any parent can do. The most important thing you can do for your child’s education is read to them, read to them from the time they are babies. Some experts believe even before they are born- while they are still in the womb.
While we never went that far, we did read to our children from the time they were born. We read all sorts of books, starting with short, simple ones. As they got older we looked for those with good stories and use of language, poetry, rhythm and illustrations. Even small babies like to look at picture books with Mom and Dad.
We weren’t overly flush with finances. Our children had some books of their own but the majority of books came from the library. We went to the library and got a minimum of a dozen or so books out each couple of weeks at the least. Reading became a special time of cuddling a baby and then later preschooler and enjoying that closeness that comes from reading together.
What reading to your baby and later pre-schooler does is increased their language sills, gives them a sense of rhythm as they hear the words and it also strengthens the parent child bon.
By two year old, our son could remember favorite books verbatim as his grandmother found our when she tried to skip a page our two. He not only told her she’d missed the pages but word for word what was on them. Both our children by that age had an incredible vocabulary, thanks to be read to lots.
When it comes to school age you can tell the children who have been read to lots and those who haven’t. They are further advanced in language skills, and usually counting, recognition of letters and some words and observation skills as well. Giving your child a good grounding in books and reading to them is I believe, and so do many experts, the single most important thing you can do to help their education and get it off on the right foot. Yes, it takes time but it’s more than worth it.
Children learn most during the first few years of life. Those first five years of a child’s life are critical for setting patterns for the future.
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