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This article is from Today's
Native Father, issue #131, January/February, 2004. Related articles from this issue: |
Benefits of Reading to Your Children |
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Nothing develops a child’s mind like reading. Before a child can read, his mind is developing faster than it ever will later in life. The only way a young child can “read” is if someone reads to him. As parents read to children, they answer children’s questions, promote language skills, promote reading skills, develop longer attention spans and strengthen family relationships, says Nikki Cavalier Rabel, researcher at the University of Ohio. Reading to children promotes books as a fun activity. As the child experiences the parent’s voice, arms or lap, emotion and personal interest in the book, bonding takes place between parent and child. Reading opens up worlds of wonder for a curious child. The parent’s lap can become a seat on a jet plane, whisking the child away to places of adventure and beauty. Later the child will learn to distinguish between fantasy and reality. In the early years, a healthy blend of the two helps build delight in reading. Even parents who are non-readers can tell stories. They can also encourage reading by making up their own stories to go with picture books and by attending reading sessions at the public library with their children. Ben Carson was an African-American boy living in poverty in inner-city Detroit. At the bottom of his fifth-grade class, he was convinced that the world was stacked against his race. But his mother Sonya determined that he would make good. One day she turned off the TV and asked that each of her sons read at least two books from the library each week and write her a report on each one. Years later, Carson would learn that his mother, with only a third-grade education, had been unable to read his reports. Her persistence paid off. Carson went on to become a world-famous pediatric neurosurgeon. Even if your child never becomes a world-famous anything, reading will develop his mind. The earlier you start, the greater the potential for growth. Incidentally, it was a new pair of prescription glasses that enabled young Ben Carson to see his lessons clearly for the first time and enjoy reading. If your child dislikes reading, an eye checkup might help. |
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