Most children begin their education in kindergarten. The age of a kindergartner is about 5 years old. However, children should be exposed to reading material before they begin kindergarten. Cognitive skills develop incredibly quickly in babies and toddlers. Using cognitive skills is important throughout an individual’s lifetime. The preschool child begins to learn how to make decisions, solve problems, reason and memorize. Language skills increase rapidly as cognition develops. A toddler begins to understand, and produce sounds, words and sentences. Parents are primarily responsible for the cognitive development of their young children. It is imperative for parents to understand methods that can increase the cognition of preschoolers.
Learning to Read
Learning to read is of vital importance for children. A preschooler that loves books will generally enjoy beginning school. The acquisition of reading skills is a process of recognizing various symbols in relationship to sounds. Eventually, a child learns that sounds make a word. Toddlers then progress to understanding how to create a sentence. While a baby is babbling and cooing, they are developing speech. Learning to talk is necessary for other learning. Parents should encourage a toddler to talk, and pay attention to what they say. At the same time, parents can begin to model their enjoyment of reading. There should be reading materials in your home that children can access. Parents can help their child learn to read by reading with them.
Reading skills lead to a higher self-esteem and confidence level. Individuals that enjoy reading have more successful and productive lives. Students with reading difficulties often began the learning process at an older age. Because reading skills are necessary for learning other subjects, these students are at a disadvantage. They often fall further behind their peers in all subject areas. A student that is struggling to keep pace with their classmates may dislike school. Students that struggle with learning often become frustrated, and quit high school. Many preschoolers spend several hours a day watching television. A helpful tool for parents is keeping a television-viewing log. Parents will be shocked after a month concerning how many hours their child is watching television.
Reading to Preschoolers
At the same time, keep track of how many hours a day you spend reading to your child. If a parent reads to a preschooler, several times a week for less than an hour the child will learn to read faster. Children love to be around their parents at this age, and reading together is a great way to bond. A preschooler can sit on your lap, or cuddle close to you while they look at pictures. Parents will have fantastic results reading colorful picture books with interesting story lines. Find a comfortable place to read while making sure there are no distractions. Get everyone involved in the reading process. Older siblings, grandparents, and other family members can also read aloud to a preschooler. Have fun reading by using character voices, acting out the stories and discussing the books.
About the guest author: Briana Kelly has over 5 years experience writing content in the area of child development. She regularly writes on behalf of Giraffe Preschools that are based in Dublin, Ireland.