It’s nearly that special time of year for young readers – Book Week!
The annual celebration of stories runs from 20 to 26 August this year with the theme ‘Dreaming with Eyes Open’.
The team at popular independent bookstore, The Book Cow in Kingston, are eager to remind parents and caregivers how important it is to take some time out and share a story with your young ones.
Not only do children love hearing stories, but research has also proven the positive impacts story-time can have on their development. A study released by the Victorian Government has found that the amount of time a child was read to directly impacted their schooling outcomes.
Findings in Reading to Young Children: A Head Start in Lifeexpressed the importance of reading to children before they start school. They found cognitive and reading skills differed not due to family background or home environment, but by how much the child had been read to in their formative years.
Taking the time to read to your child every day in those early years has positive effects that will stay with them for life. The study showed that reading to children aged four to five daily significantly improved their reading and cognitive skills as they continue to grow. When tested, some of the children whose parents read to them six or seven days each week were developmentally almost 12 months older.
Children who had listened to their parents/carers read were more likely to score higher on standardised tests. The study showed that boys who had often been read to when they were four and five years old scored drastically highly than those who were not on the NAPLAN reading test.
It wasn’t just literacy and cognitive skills that benefitted when children heard their parents read. The study showed children often entered school with larger vocabularies and more advanced comprehension skills.
Having a home stocked with books can encourage the development of these skills while also sparking an interest in lifelong learning through reading. A study published in the journal, Social Science Research, found teenagers in homes with a scarce number of books had lower than average literacy and numeracy levels compared to those who had a range of books readily available.
Storybooks help spark imagination and curiosity, which are vital for healthy brain development. Reading to children then encourages them to read, which can further develop cognitive skills, such as the ability to concentrate and more advanced communication skills.
The Book Cow team say they have found children love to read books that are fun and engaging. This can mean different things for each child – some children love fantasy, others may prefer historical fiction, while some prefer non-fiction books. The trick to keep kids picking up books is to find them something that they enjoy and is a bit challenging.
Whether it is reading a book with them, encouraging them to read on their own, or simply reading books together in a shared space, reading is an activity the whole family can enjoy.
Head into The Book Cow and see their great range of children books. Each Tuesday, they help develop young minds with Storytime in the Square; see what book is being read each week on their social media.
Find out more about The Book Cow and their upcoming events at bookcow.com.au
The Book Cow | 47 Jardine Street, Kingston | 5100 2730
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