Question

Ten Ways That Parents Can Make Reading Fun by Leanne Sherred There’s no greater gift you can give a child than the love of reading. The benefits of reading are near limitless: books stimulate the imagination, expand children’s vocabulary, develop their listening and comprehension skills, and help them succeed in the classroom. Reading is also critically important in a child’s speech and language development. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), children with communication problems are more likely to struggle with reading and writing skills. This affects how well they perform in school, their social development, and their ability to express themselves. One study from Ohio State University found that if parents or caregivers read just one book a day, their child will hear about 290,000 more words by the time they reach kindergarten. That’s quite a head start! Children take their first critical steps toward learning to read and write very early in life. That’s why it’s important for caregivers to begin reading to their children in infancy, building good habits that will benefit them for a lifetime. When children love to read, they choose to read, and they become better readers. Below we’ve included . . . tips and strategies parents can use to make reading more fun and enjoyable for their child, and ultimately expand their speech and language skills. First, parents can make reading a routine. Set aside a regular time each day to read with your child, or make a habit of reading every night before bedtime. Of course this can be easier said than done. Between work, school, errands, and everyday life, fitting reading into our schedules can be a challenge. So if you have to skip a day, don’t be discouraged. Just read to your child as often as you can. Secondly, choosing the right books is important.  I don’t know about you, but if a book isn’t grabbing my attention by the first few pages, I’m more likely to zone out or put the book aside. Children are no different. If books aren’t captivating their attention, they’ll be less engaged. Next time you go to the bookstore or library, encourage your child to browse the bookshelves themselves. Or if you know your child is particularly interested in zebras, find a book about zebras. Additionally, parents should ask the right questions.  Asking questions not only stimulates your child’s critical thinking abilities, but also increases their comprehension. For younger children, you can ask yes/no questions. For older questions, try to ask more thought-provoking questions. For example, as your child first becomes aware of letter sounds, points to a picture of a dog and ask: “What sound does the dog make?” As your child develops, ask more complex questions: “What sound does ‘dog’ start with?

Answer 1

Children's language development benefits from increased word exposure and conversational engagement. Strategies for enhancing these skills include regular reading routines, selecting captivating books, active reading journals, and rewarding learning behaviors. Interventions for low-income families have shown promising results in language skill improvements.

Step-by-step explanation:

Strategies for Enhancing Language Skills in Children:

Language development in children is a critical phase where exposure to more words can greatly benefit their communication skills. The father's experiment with his son reading words from a list highlights the untapped potential for language and literacy development.

Studies by psychologists like Betty Hart and Todd Risley have shown significant disparities in language exposure between children from different income levels, indicating that conversational engagement is key to vocabulary development.

To mitigate these differences and enhance language skills, it's essential to create interventions like the ones at the University of Chicago, where low-income families are encouraged to talk more with their children.

In addition to these measures, keeping a reading journal can be an effective way for students to actively engage with texts, which can foster improved comprehension and retention.

Therefore, parents and caregivers should strive to provide frequent, diverse language exposure and create rich, interactive reading experiences for their children. Recognizing the importance of language from infancy through age five, caregivers can use tactics such as making reading a routine, choosing engaging books, asking stimulating questions, and rewarding children to cultivate positive behavior towards learning.