A MESSAGE FROM OUR EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR
A Note from the Director:
I am so happy to see all of the children walking into school each morning, greeting their friends, hanging their backbacks and getting right to work! They have adjusted beautifully to their new routines and developed relationships in a short time. Now that everyone is settled, I would like to address something else that is so important to your child's development, that being reading aloud to your them each day. One of our main focuses at school is to improve language development . It is important for young children to be able to express themselves; their thoughts and their feelings. Reading aloud helps to do just that! Here is some information from http://www.reachoutandread.org/why-we-work/importance-of-reading-aloud/.
- Reading aloud to young children is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity, and memory.
- Reading aloud is widely recognized as the single most important activity leading to language development. Among other things, reading aloud builds word-sound awareness in children, a potent predictor of reading success.
- The nurturing and one-on-one attention from parents during reading aloud encourages children to form a positive association with books and reading later in life.
- Reading aloud is a proven technique to help children cope during times of stress or tragedy.
- Reading aloud in the early years exposes children to story and print knowledge as well as rare words and ideas not often found in day-to-day conversations or screen time.
- Reading aloud gives children the opportunity to practice listening - a crucial skill for kindergarten and beyond.
- Make reading part of your daily routine. It’s not just about the book, its about spending time together and your child listening to your voice.
- Take a trip to your local library and pick out books together.
- Read a book that you liked as a child. Your child will enjoy hearing your memories about the book as well as the story.
- Create a “reading culture” in your home, where your child can observe you read books, magazines, and newspapers. They can “read” along side of you by looking at the pictures and/or pointing out letters/words that they may recognize.
Educational Director