Cultivating Reading Skills in Storytime
February 28, 2012
Have you ever thought of what skills are being developed when you take your child to storytime? Many great skills are being learned that will remain with your children throughout their lives. They’re learning literacy skills that help them get ready to read! The MCPL system promotes the initiative called Every Child Ready to Read, and we incorporate it into our storytimes! There are five main exercises for getting kids ready for reading: talk, sing, read, write, and play.
- Talking helps them to learn new words and what they mean.
- Singing slows down language so children can hear the different sounds that make up words.
- Reading is the most important way to get your child ready to read!
- Writing represents spoken language and communication information. Children can learn pre-reading skills through writing activities as well. It also helps children express themselves and put thoughts into words.
- Playing helps children think symbolically.
At Boardwalk storytimes, we often play musical instruments, which helps with concentration, coordination, relaxation, patience, and boosts their self-confidence! Who knew going to storytime was so educational? Playing an instrument also has long-lasting effects on spatial reasoning. Spatial reasoning improves their ability to work on puzzles and solve other spatial tasks by as much as 30 percent!
Come to storytime and help your children gain the expertise needed to learn to read! We read, sing, and play instruments! Check out our program listing to see when our next storytime will get your child ready to read!