World Read Aloud Day: Developing the minds of children.

Today (1 February 2018) is World Read Aloud Day - People all over the world are taking part in this global event to celebrate the power of words. We all know that words are powerful and that without words, our world would be a very different place right now. How would we be able to use our imagination? How would we be able to understand each other?
In such a digitally aided and enhanced world, it is becoming increasingly important to develop our children’s imaginations, comprehension skills and vocabulary.

It’s Always Fun To Have Story Time

This is where your children really get to stretch and develop their imagination. Sitting down and listening to a story encourages concentration or focus. This focus may not last very long for the young ones, but, every minute that they are concentrating, they are developing their skills more and more. Introducing a flexible routine involving story time can make it easier to encourage it.
To make story time a bit more fun, make sure that you have a good supply of books (or a wild imagination of your own). Ask the children what kind of story they would like to hear. Do they want to hear a story about animals, or cars, or a princess/prince? Encourage them to think about it. You never know, they could come up with some amazing ideas.

Story Time Increases Comprehension/Listening Skills

Have you ever been to a book club? Not the one with wine, snacks and magazines, the one with a book to read each month. Book clubs are a great way to encourage ourselves to read and understand what we are reading. Now, story time has the same effect on children. While you are reading a story, ask the children questions as you go along. Make it fun. You can even ask them if they can predict (guess) what will happen next in the story. Let their imaginations go wild – at least they are thinking about it, and trying to understand.
When the children are young, like 2 or 3 years old, comprehension (understanding what they have heard) is a bit harder, but that is not to say that they haven’t heard you. Don’t underestimate how much information a toddler actually absorbs. They will save the information for later.

Comprehension Turns Into Vocabulary

When all of this information and ideas have been ingested, it needs some way to come out. Talking… It’s not rare for a child to use a phrase that they have learned, in the wrong context. This is not something that needs to be corrected straight away. This is them processing what they have heard before, and trying to figure out how to use the phrase or word correctly. There is absolutely no harm in it – it may even be entertaining. Instead of saying “No” then correcting them, maybe try giving them an alternative.

To Conclude

World Read Aloud Day is a brilliant initiative to aid in creating an appetite for knowledge within our children. In my opinion, this is something I would admonish becoming a daily activity in a household with children. Sit in front of Mommy or Daddy, not TV or Tablet.

This article has stemmed from my own opinions, experience (as an au-pair) and research. I would really love to hear your opinions or experiences in the matter.

@what-did-she-say

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