The Importance of Early Reading for Children

Reading is an important skill that has many significant benefits throughout a child’s life. At My Place, our goal is for our students to fall in love with literacy. Here are some reasons early reading is important for children.

Brain development occurs rapidly in early childhood

By age five, a child’s brain grows to 90% of its adult size. Additionally, more neural connections are made during early childhood than any other time in a person’s life – at least one million per second. Because of this, the early years are the best time for a child to develop important life skills like literacy. Not only will learning to read become more difficult as a child gets older, but reading difficulties that are addressed in later childhood could be more likely to stick around later in life.

Books teach age-appropriate lessons

These days, there are many books out there to help parents broach difficult or complex topics with children. These books help you find ways to discuss real-world situations with their young child in a way that won’t be confusing or overwhelming. In addition, many children’s books feature characters who are children themselves, which can help your child better relate to and connect with the topic.

Reading in early childhood helps with future education

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children who are introduced to reading early do better in school compared to those who aren’t. Helping your child learn foundational literacy skills as early as possible will help them learn – both then and later in life.

At My Place, we’re proud to help children discover the basics of letters and sounds. We have many different hands-on literacy activities such as Tonie, an on-campus library, and literacy centers.