Have you ever wondered just how much early literacy benefit a child who’s not yet old enough to speak in full sentences is getting from story time? Think it’s too early to start reading nursery rhymes or children’s books with your kids? The research says it’s never too soon! Plenty of studies show that reading with children who are as young as 6 months old dramatically improves their cognitive abilities. The more you read with them, the more they’ll learn!

Here are just a few of the proven benefits of reading with preschoolers.

Reading

From reading and reciting riddles and rhymes to learning how to read a clock, the reading skills that your child needs are essential to her daily life. The key is to help your child learn to understand what she’s seeing—to remember the words and symbols, not just look at them. Helping her do this by reading with her increases her cognitive growth. It also helps build her vocabulary early on, which is beneficial to her intelligence and ability to communicate about her world.

Reading books with your child isn’t just a matter of exposing her to literature—although that’s important, too! It’s a great way for you to build a stronger bond with your child and to show her how much you want to help her understand the world around her.

Writing

Everyone knows that reading and writing go hand in hand. When you’re reading with your child—helping him build his vocabulary and learn to express himself—you’re also giving him the essential elements of what he’ll need to write well. The more ideas, words, and connections that he has at his fingertips, the more agile he’ll be with writing. Contrary to popular belief, the digital age is increasing the need for literacy, since most of what we encounter on the internet (including this blog post) has both written and visual elements. You can put your child ahead of the curve by reading with him each day.

At Mt. Elizabeth, we go beyond “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and focus on teaching your children to think critically. We read an assortment of more than 500 pre-selected books to your child each year so that your child can begin getting the early benefits of literacy that are essential to later success. Our library has over 5000 books for parents to borrow and enjoy with their children. Contact us today to learn more about how you can put our library to work for your preschooler’s future.