To Begin…
Think of a story(ies) you heard or read, over and over again, as a child. Who were the characters? What was the plot? And setting? Why do you think you remember this story? Can you recall the illustrations?
Why do you think it was this story that came to mind?
I remember two stories.
The first one was a Winnie the Pooh book. I liked the characters and I know this story was read to me many many times as I can still recite the first five pages.
The second book was a beginning reader called, Jump. This was the first book I could read and I read it over and over and over again. Obviously this book offered me self-satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.
Reading and writing go hand-in-hand. We can’t separate the two when teaching children to write. A large repertoire of stories will increase:
vocabulary and language development
imagination
creativity
skills in the mechanics of writing (spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and imagination plus many many more skills)
cognitive development
empathy development - reading about characters and their situations
deeper understanding of our world and how it works
development of stronger relationships with the people who read to or with children
and so much more!!
Grab a child and read a book today!
