“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” ― Muriel Rukeyser
And, all of us love to hear, read or narrate those stories in different ways. We have spoken, written and read extensively about the importance of story time for kids. For younger kids, it is being read to by parents, teachers or anyone elder to them, it also included hearing and watching stories. Gradually, when they grow, they start reading on their own.
Storytime is always FUN as well as educative, whether we read to them or they read themselves. It is surely a wonderful feeling watching and hearing your child reading their story books. This habit of reading should be instilled from an early age to reap benefits later.
Why reading is important?
Stories play a vital role in the growth and development of children. It is important for children to understand that books are a useful source of information and good reading skills will help them lifelong. Reading also helps children with their confidence levels, coping with feelings and language and learning. It boosts their creativity and imagination, as well as help in stress boosting. However, it is not only important for kids to read the storybooks, but they should read it correctly. This will help them to comprehend better and learn the right things.
Why some kids face difficulty in reading?
Kids who are good readers are phonemically aware, they understand the alphabetic principle, they apply these skills practically, they have strong vocabulary, syntactical and grammatical skills, and they can relate reading to their own experiences.
If they are facing difficulties in any of these areas, that can be a hindrance to their reading development.
Research shows that reading is a language-based activity. It does not develop naturally, and for many children, specific decoding, word recognition, and reading comprehension skills must be taught directly and systematically. We have seen that preschool children benefit significantly from being read to.
Hence, parents and educators can foster reading development by providing children with the right instructions that develops their concepts, age-appropriate vocabulary and language comprehension skills, as well as familiarity with the language structure.
How can you help your child to read storybooks correctly?
· Gently correct the words and move on- Rather can reading out each and every word, only help in words they are facing difficulty with
· Kids reread the storybook often and so know the story- Since they know the story, they might use some other word than the word written in the book
· Read the story along with kids- Sometimes read the story along with the child
· Learning time- Kids have to read words correctly. So, guide the child to read correctly with the correct phonic sound.
· Ask the child to slow down and read the words- Do not rush through the story or don’t let them rush. Rather rectify where they are facing a problem and then move on.
· Wait for the child to read the entire sentence and then correct them- Avoid interrupting in between so that they know their mistakes and then correct them.
· Point out the word and ask them to re-read it- Choose difficult words and urge them to practice until they are comfortable with it.
· Ask the child to re-read the sentence always after correction- Repeat it so that you know that they have understood and they are confident with what they have learnt.
What should you ask for help?
Try using these tips and techniques to help your child in reading at home. However, if you feel that they are not improving or if the child is always guessing, seek help from outside. Reading comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading, so if there is a difficulty, please do not ignore and seek for help at the right time.