Reading Daily To Your Children

Books that have different genres allows a child to use their imagination as well as come to their own conclusions about the book. Exposing children to poetry, fiction, and nonfiction books will broaden their knowledge, imagination and allow them to pretend that they are one of the characters in the books.

Books such as Mother Goose, Cat in the Hat, I Am Rosa Parks, Cookie Count and The Very Hungry Caterpillar are all good examples of different genres and formats that are appropriate for preschoolers. As you observe and start to build a relationship with the children, You will know what type of topics that they are interested in and then You would be able to integrate that knowledge when assessing texts and illustrations that may interest them.

There are a variety of resources that are available to assist with evaluating books that have literacy merit. Book Reviews describe, analyze and evaluate the quality, importance and meaning of a books written for a particular age group of children. Knowing the purpose of a book before reading it to the children will allow the parent/teacher to be aware of what she is teaching them. It is important to preview the books before presenting it to the children.

Books offer opportunities for children to engage in oral, written, and visual language. Language growth consists of long term goals such as, learning how to read, understanding and using the mature syntax of their language, expanding their vocabulary, and becoming skilled listeners. Children should be exposed to books on a daily basis, they will learn new sentence patterns and new words. Asking children questions during story-time allow a child to respond with their thoughts or receive a better understanding of the story by listening to others ask questions and have them explained. It is good idea to pause midway to see if anyone might have something to share, they may forget their thoughts by the end of the story.

Preschoolers enjoy learning through play. As they play they are recognizing, naming, building, drawing, comparing and sorting. Intellectual growth consists of the same thinking skills. Reading books such as, "So many Circles, So Many Squares" teach children to classify objects. Books that allow the children to come up with their own solution to a certain dilemma will engage them in problem solving. In order to get children to think critically and respond with divergent response you must be prepared with questions that will allow them to think beyond their literal level.