At a time when children are passionate about virtual reality in video games, specialists draw our attention to how reading has enormous benefits while parents can do much more for their children than simply telling them to read. Valentina Secara, the founder of Acorns Nursery and initiator of a story telling programme in the nursery strongly suggests that parents and teachers read to children right from their first year of life.
“All parents want their children to be intelligent, therefore they look for top nurseries and schools and hope that these will bring out their child’s maximum potential. However, there are other activities which parents and children can do together, which will bring remarkable benefits. Spend time with your child in the company of books from the first year. Read to him/her” says Valentina Secara.
The main advantages of reading, identified by Acorns specialists in early years education are:
1. From the first year of life, you can create your own close moments with your child, with books. Even as he/she grows and changes his/her attention more towards play, reading can remain your moment of calm and spiritual connection each day.
2. Encourage brain potential. According to studies, children who are read to from birth have a wider vocabulary and better maths abilities. “There is a connection between the amount of words that a child hears each day and his/her ability to communicate, therefore it is important that children hear stories at nursery as well as at home” explains Valentina Secara.
3. Increased concentration, behaviour and memory While it may be hard to draw a young child’s attention to a book: “use colourful books, with 2-3 phrases per page, pretend to be the character in the book, ask questions about the pictures or what is happening, help your child to remember the book during the course of the day and in a short time your child will become very interested in the moments when you read together, which will last a lifetime” Valentina Secara
4. A child who is read to will learn to read faster and more easily. Your child will make friends with books, as he/she is read to; it will awaken his/her own passion to read, using expression and rhythm.
5. Increased academic potential Better logic, attention to school work, a richer vocabulary and communication skills plus general knowledge gained with the help of books (that by this time, your child will be able to read alone), will all help your child to have better results at school.
Approximately 42% of 15 year old students in Romania are illiterate, according to The Centre for Assessment and Educational Analysis in Cluj-Napoca. They are able to read and write but can’t understand what they have read. “The encouragement of reading from an early age, with the parent explaining what the book is about, conversations alongside the book as well as the use of books which have been adapted to suit children’s interests help to avoid these kind of statistics” concludes the Manager of Acorns Nursery.
These and other important topics on education will be developed by experts invited to take part in the early years education conference due to take place on 17th – 19th May.