Tiny Turtles Preschool of Jupiter, FL

A Creative, Fun & Loving Environment!

Education for children six weeks to five years old, after school childcare, and summer camp for children up to 10 years old. Plus —we have free hot nutritional meals prepared daily!

How Important is Reading Aloud to Your Child?

Everyone knows that it is good to read books to your child. Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more parents rely on tablets and tv screens to teach their children the important skills and lessons that used to only come from spending time sitting down with your young one. Tablets and children’s TV programs can be a tremendously helpful tool for keeping your child’s attention so that you can finally get some things done around the house. However, far too many parents are using these tools as their children’s only source of in-home education.

In this post, we will explore why it is still incredibly important to take the time to sit down with your young one and read to them as often as possible. Another excellent way to give your child the  head start they need is by enrolling them in a preschool program that is focused on early childhood education and not just an elaborate day care. Contact Tiny Turtles Preschool of Jupiter today to begin enrollment.

 

Benefits of Reading Aloud

 

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales”  

— Albert Einstein

 

Helps Develop Language Skills

Language — written language in particular — is one of the most complex skills our brains have mastered over the long period of our evolution. Because of this, it is very important to give your children the help they need during their early stages of development in order to help these skills develop correctly. 

One of the best and easiest ways to help your child develop their language skills, both written and oral, is to read to them often. Learning any skill takes repetition and commitment over time. By reading to your child, you will help them become familiar with vocabulary and different topics that they may not otherwise come in contact with in their daily lives.

 

Enhances Concentration

Depending on your child’s age and demeanor, it may seem like getting them to concentrate on the pages of a book may be an impossible task. However, over time your child’s ability to slow down and concentrate on the contents of each page will only increase the more you read to them. This is especially helpful for children who have a hard time sitting still. By reading to them on a daily basis, you will slowly, but surely, begin to see an increased ability to concentrate and sit longer.

 

Encourages Curiosity and a Thirst for Knowledge

By reading books about a variety of topics to your children, you will encourage them to ask questions and further their understanding of the world around them. One of the great things about the human brain is that once it starts the process of learning new things, it naturally wants more and more. By feeding our children new information, they will develop an unquenchable thirst for knowledge that will serve them well in their school years to come. 

 

Develops Imagination and Creativity

Similar to a thirst for knowledge, human brains are built to create. Every human has a deep desire to create in one way or another. By reading our children stories and fairytales, we can teach them that there is no limit to what they can create or imagine, and we can give them points of reference to begin their imaginative journeys.

 

Strengthens Bond Between Child and Parent

Taking even a short amount of time each day out of our busy days to sit down and cuddle up with your little one and create a shared experience of reading a book is one of the fastest ways to strengthen your bond with your child. Reading is a powerful experience and even at a young age, children are able to appreciate you sharing with them your most valuable resource — your time.

 

Reading Tips

Daily reading is incredibly important to early childhood development. However, some parents say that reading out loud feels unnatural or awkward and they have a hard time getting into the habit. If reading is not already part of you and your child’s daily routine, that’s ok! It’s never too late to start! If you need some tips for making reading with your child easier, or if you would like to make your reading time more effective, check out these tips below!

 

Read At Your Own Comfort Level

Some parents love getting really into the books they read with their child. They make grand gestures with their hands. They create silly voices for each character. Some parents even make props to go along with the book for the ultimate reading experience. If you know a parent or teacher like this, but you are not comfortable with that level of engagement, that’s ok!

If you are only comfortable reading in a monotone voice, that’s perfectly fine, because any amount of reading is better than none! You may even find that the more you read, the more comfortable you will get with being creative with your reading voice.

 

Don’t Rush

We’ve all been there. It’s past your child’s bedtime and you still have things you need to get done after they go to sleep and the book they choose to read is a long one. Not wanting to struggle with convincing them to pick a different book, you simply sit down and rush through the pages reading the words as fast as you can so that your child will be satisfied and you can go about finishing your chores. 

It’s important to give each page enough time for your child to explore the picture and understand what’s happening on the page before moving on. Instead of just flipping through the book as fast as possible, take a moment to ask questions or explain things further once before or after you read the text on the page. For example:

  • “What do you think she will do next?”
  • “Do you think he looks happy?”
  • “Remember when we went fishing during our camping trip?”
  • “They’re playing tennis. Did you know Daddy used to play tennis when he was younger?”

Adding context and asking questions can help your child get way more out of their reading experiences so it’s important to try this as often as possible.

 

Conclusion

It is hard to understate the importance of reading books to your child. If you are looking for ways to help improve your child’s intelligence, patience, concentration, imagination, creativity, and social bonds, reading is the answer. Another great way to help your child build their reading skills is by enrolling them in a preschool that prioritizes early childhood development like Tiny Turtles Preschool of Jupiter. Call today to learn more about our services.

Tiny Turtles Preschool of Jupiter’s goal is to provide an enriching early childhood educational experience with a well-balanced, unique curriculum dedicated to the development of infants and young children. Our Creative Curriculum is based upon the natural ways in which children learn along with a print-rich environment for future school readiness. Our state-of-the-art program offers thematic units involving computer labs, reading, writing, arts & crafts, math, science, music, physical education, library, dramatic play and age appropriate separate playgrounds.