About Jennifer Hamilton
Having learned to write before she could walk (or so goes the story), Jennifer Hamilton has finally found an outlet as our SweetMama Editor. Don’t miss her weekly victories and slip-ups as she raises a son who is almost as obstinate and witty as her; using snuggles, derision and propaganda to survive.
Reading to Kids: More Important Than You Thought
mother she wrote: read to your kids canada
(Nov.23.11)
Do you read to your kids? More than just the back of the Tylenol bottle and the labels in their clothes, I mean. Do you actually sit down in the evening and read to them? Or read with them?
I hope so. Because according to a recent report, reading to your kids will make them more successful teenagers (which in turn, makes them more successful adults, I’m guessing).
The report states that children whose parents read to them in their first year of primary school have higher scores on assessments in their teenage years. This happened regardless of socioeconomic background, which is impressive.
Is this just a way for teachers to turn the spotlight onto parents? Should parents be responsible for this as well as every other aspect of their children’s development?
Uh, yeah. I think we should.
I honestly think that the only way kids learn to love reading (which will carry them through years of learning) is via the experience of reading.
Incidentally, this experience starts way before elementary school.
It begins when sleepless babies snuggle in their mother’s arms, and they read Good-Night Moon and Guess How Much I Love You over and over.
It continues when toddlers pull books off shelves and ask us to read to them.
It endures when preschoolers start reading along to Bears in the Night and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.
And it never ends. My parents fostered a love of reading in me from birth. And I have done the same with my son. Reading is a gift that never stops giving. Cherish it with your wee ones tonight and read with them.
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