Some Benefits of Early Reading
Posted by Positive Toddler Parenting at 3/11/2008 10:54 AM and is filed under uncategorized 
- Early readers stay ahead of children who are taught later in life.
- Some research indicates that the gap between early readers and later readers actually increases over time. (This is sometimes known as the "Matthews Effect" where the rich learners get richer and the poor learners get poorer.)
- Studies from all areas of language (spoken language, second languages, sign language, receptive language, etc.) show that it’s easier to learn the patterns of language early in childhood compared to later in childhood.
- The window of opportunity for learning language begins to close by age four.
- Reading is the most important skill a child learns.
- Reading opens the door for many other opportunities for learning and it helps children succeed in school and in life.
- Children who enter school already reading have higher self-esteem than children who cannot read when they enter school.
- Children who are taught to read earlier prefer to read more than children who are taught at age five or later.
- There is more neuroplasticity* early in life in part because the brain is developing so rapidly in babies and toddlers.
- A Yale University study shows that “that activating children's neural circuitry for reading early on is key.”
- It’s likely the brain will develop more efficiently for reading when the child learns to read early in childhood compared to later in childhood.
- The current methods and ages of teaching reading are not working for hundreds of millions of children around the world.
- Teaching reading earlier may eliminate most reading problems according to a US National Panel of Reading Specialists and Early Childhood Educators.
- Better readers are more likely to stay in school than poor readers.
- Baby brains develop faster than older children’s brains.
Comments