03/20/2020
I was going to do a live video, but we are still internet-less and going live through a phone hotspot wasn't going to work well. So, I am writing today's post. Today, I wanted to talk about the first steps to reading. Do you know what the first thing is? No, it is not teaching letters and the sounds they make. It is reading to your children. Before you think I am crazy, please read on. This is an encouragement especially for those that have been forced into homeschooling and are not sure where to begin. Even listening to audio books is beneficial. So, if you spend the next few months reading and listening to audio books, it is not wasted time. Is there more you can do? Of course, and I will go into more options in the near future. However, if this is all you do today, don't sweat it, consider it a win, and know that you are not failing your kids.
Here are just a few reasons why it is so important for you to read to your kids.
1. Kids learn the cadence and rhythm of reading and the spoken language through listening to someone read to them. This encourages fluency. For example, when a child is able to read something with fluency, it simply sounds right to the ear, and there is a great sense of accomplishment that comes with that.
2. Kids learn vocabulary and sentence structure through listening to a person read. This is where I encourage you to choose books that are above your child's reading level. They will hear words in context and will learn the definition through listening to how it is used. This is the same way a baby learns words and it is no different for children. Proper sentence structure is key in stories. When a person speaks naturally in conversation, it is not always well organized, it has awkward stops and wording, but our brains compensate for it. Listening to well thought out writing is far superior to just letting a person talk.
3. Listening to stories, particularly longer ones, builds memory. When a child is young, having them sit still to pay attention may only last a few minutes, but as they mature, they will be able to stay and pay attention longer. This is why I encourage chapter books even to young children. They must remember what happened from the day before, so that they can pick up where they left off. This may seem as if that is not a big deal, but for children that may have some learning difficulties, this can be a huge obstacle. On a side note, when you are finishing a chapter, a good way to help retain the story is by asking a few questions, such as, do you think Johnny made the right choice when he did..., or what do you think is going to happen next?
4. Reading to your children teaches more than just reading. You can learn what they are interested in learning and find books that fit their interests. For example, my son had no interest in stories, but was fascinated with natural disasters and animals. Reading fact-based literature encouraged his love of learning. There are also some great accurate historical fiction. We used to read My Name is America books, like American Girl books, but with a boy protagonist. Even math can be made into a story. Try Life of Fred for math based fun.
5. Reading builds bonds. Not only does taking time to read together or listen to an audio book together build bonds with you as a parent, but it builds bonds with siblings. You can also delegate reading to older children to read to their younger ones or have the younger ones read to their older sibling for practice.
Here is a great place to start. Your local library probably has the ability to download books and audio books, but New York just opened their library, so here is a link. Enjoy!
https://www.nypl.org/books-music-movies/ebookcentral
Homeschooling is a slower paced life, but it is purposeful, with lots of learning in a few hours.
