We all want the children in our society to succeed and grow in their knowledge. One of the most important ways to facilitate this eventual success is to encourage these children to read. More and more research has shown how crucial early childhood reading and literacy is to both a child’s academic career and to their achievements in life in general.
Children learn at a significantly faster pace during the first six years of their lives than they do during any other time; this part of childhood must be taken advantage of to ensure that a child is able to learn as much as possible. Reading with children helps to develop their brains and strengthen their neurological connections, helping them gain more knowledge than their illiterate counterparts. Even children who are too young to read can benefit from the language skills that are instilled in them in their early childhood, as this will eventually lead to higher literate proficiency.
In the classroom, children who have better language and literacy skills have been shown to have higher grades than their peers, not only in reading and writing, but in every subject. This success helps children to become more confident, which can aid them in their social lives as well. Confident children are better able to approach their classmates, and their advanced linguistic skills help them to express themselves more clearly.
Having these literacy skills also means that children are better able to comprehend what they read; this comprehension allows children to recognize key points of whatever they read, and therefore become more effective when studying. This, in turn, leads to higher grades and a higher rate of success in the classroom. Literate children also have longer attention spans, allowing them to absorb more of what their teachers are discussing. Literature sparks curiosity in children as well, encouraging them to explore the world around them and to gain knowledge. This curiosity sparks imagination and creativity in young children, both of which are beneficial to a child’s success.
Children who have not developed the ability to read from a young age are more likely to struggle in the classroom. This difficulty often persists through much, if not all, of their school career. And since all of the key aspects of a child’s development are interdependent, struggling academically from a young age can lead to difficulties in the child’s social, physical, and linguistic skills. These can all have major impacts on a child’s life, and prevent them from reaching their full potential.
It is extremely vital for everybody to assist children in developing their language and reading skills. The effort you put into helping children at this crucial time in their lives will have extremely powerful impacts down the road, leading to a more successful time in school, and eventually a more successful life.