A new study conducted by The American Academy of Pediatrics revealed that reading on a daily basis to young children helps develop literacy skills and aids language learning. An essential part of brain development occurs within the first three years of life, which makes speaking to kids from the get-go crucial to their ability to talk.
This is the first time the academy has touched on literacy education, according to Dr. Pamela High director of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI. The purpose of the new recommendation is to help parents "immunize their children against illiteracy." As the writer of this new policy, High is advocating that doctors pass this guidance on to their patient's parents as crucial health advice.
A 2007 study found that fewer than half of young children in the United States are read to every day and every year more than one in three children begin kindergarten lacking the language skills necessary for reading. The issue exists predominantly in low-income families: Only 34 percent of children age 5 and younger in families living below the poverty line are read to daily, compared to 60 percent of kids in families living 400 percent or more above that line.
Reading aloud to children doesn't just promote literacy, but it helps social and emotional development as well. It seems only good can come from a daily dose of the regular reading.
Do you think it's important to read to children every day? Let us know below.