"Study Finds Reading to Children of All Ages Grooms Them to Read More on Their Own," was the headline of a New York Times article reporting the results of an annual "Kids and Family Reading Report" commissioned by Scholastic. The 2014 Scholastic survey of just over 1,000 children ages 6 - 17 found that only 31 percent said they read a book for fun almost daily, down from 37 percent four years ago. Other findings:
"For younger children — ages 6 to 11 — being read aloud to regularly and having restricted online time were correlated with frequent reading.... Reading aloud through elementary school seemed to be connected to a love of reading generally.... Children in the survey frequently cited reading aloud as a special bonding time with their parents...
"Some literacy experts said that when parents or teachers read aloud to children even after they can read themselves, the children can hear more complex words or stories than they might tackle themselves.... Other literary experts say the real value of reading to children is helping to develop background knowledge in all kinds of topics as well as exposure to sophisticated language."
What is the most treasured resource for families with young children? Time. Between housekeeping, shopping, doing chores, and getting everyone to work and school — let alone fitting in family meals, fun activities, and much-needed downtime — being a parent can require major feats of scheduling. While parents don't always have hours to pour over parenting books, they could use short, to-the-point advice on the challenges they confront every day.
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Displaying 1 Commentthe grand child care center
chicago, IL, United States
Even reading to little children- infants and toddlers help them in many ways: reading a storybook or picture book calms them down and they focus on colorful pictures, animals etc.. And this is quite different than classroom environment. In class room you need a prop to keep toddlers focused, in home, seating next to baby and turning pages will do the magic.. 25years in daycare settings and now grandmother of three under three I tell you from my personal experience.
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