September 7, 2016
Read and sing every day!
Why reading and singing at home with your child is so important
Children spend a lot of time at school reading and developing their literacy skills. Do they really need to read at home too? Yes!
There are many research studies that show that daily reading with your child, especially prior to and during the period when s/he is learning to read, leads to increased academic achievement. Research has also shown that music and songs, specifically rhyming songs, are a fun and easy way to build early literacy and language development.
“Children’s level of phonemic awareness on entering school may be the single most powerful determinant of the success he or she will experience in learning to read*.” Music skills correlate significantly with both phonological awareness and reading development.
What’s recommended?
Read and sing aloud at least 20 minutes a day with your child. If you do this from birth to age 5 your child will have 600 hours of essential pre-literacy experience before entering school. Once in school, it’s essential to continue the read-aloud habit throughout the elementary school years.
Tips for using Cantata Learning books and songs during your daily storytime
In addition to building language, literacy and listening skills, reading and singing with your child can help strengthen your relationship. Devoting time to reading every day shows that you are there for your child on a regular basis. This one-on-one time can also lead to wonderful conversations that may not have occurred if you weren’t sitting quietly you’re your child for an extended period of time.
Have fun reading and singing with your child!
Source: Adams, M. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
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