Read about the benefits of having a home library and reading to your child regularly. Also, there is a great tip on how to make your children be interested in reading that involves emulating and plush toys.
HOW DO YOU KNOW A CHILD CAN READ? POINT AT A TOY
We’re going to immediately divulge the secret – a child will want to read if they’re told that their favorite toy has read the same thing before.
But first, a bit about the advantages of having literate children. For some parents, the benefits aren’t obvious.
A LOT VERSUS A LITTLE – IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?
An enormous study was conducted. More than 160,000 people between the ages of 25 to 65 and in 31 different countries filled out a questionnaire on how many books were in the home where they grew up. There were also tests for literacy, math skills, and communication skills.
Results varied by country. In Scandinavia, children grew up surrounded by more than 200 books. In Singapore, Chile, and Turkey there were less than 60. What about you?
I remember that we had a bookshelf with everything that an intelligent American family was supposed have. Hemingway, Salinger, Bradbury, Dickens, Dumas, and Brontë.
The results of the research were that the more books a child was exposed to, the higher their scores on those three tests. Yes, including math! The highest scores were shown by those who had home libraries containing around 350 books.
Furthermore, those that grew up around books have the same amount of useful skills as college graduates who did not. This is even before finishing high school.
Any child believes that toys come alive when he falls asleep
A new study has shown that if children believe that their favorite toys can read and do so regularly, they will begin to emulate them.
Scientists from Okayama University showed that children can be influenced by large plush toys.
They created a program where children left their toys in a library overnight, seating them so that they could “read”.
Their toy-friends “searched” for books that they’d like to read without the children around. Photographs were taken of the toys participating in this process and presented to the children as “evidence”. Kindergarten teachers supervised.
The next day, the toys were returned with the photographs, along with the books that the toys “chose” to read.
TO READ OR NOT TO READ
Until that day, the kindergarten children had no interest in reading. But after that night, the children began looking for books and became interested in them.
Not only did they read picture books, they also read them out loud to their toys.
The effect faded after three days, but that’s still not bad for just one overnight stay.
A month later, the experiment was repeated and the children again responded favorably.
Adults really aren’t that different in this regard. They urgently go out and buy books by a Nobel laureate, or one recommended by Oprah. They need it, too.
Vadim Avrukin
Photo by Marcela R on Unsplash
WHY DON’T THEY READ ANYTHING?
