Encouraging your child to start reading at an early age means introducing them to creativity and imagination.
It’s the period when young children’s brains are like sponges, able to absorb more information than those of adults.
So, it’s a great age for brain development and language learning. And, reading is a great way to do that!
Let’s discover more about it:
Why is reading at an early age important?
Reading at an early age offers better cognitive, mental health, and behavioural outcomes. It helps boost memory, build critical thinking, promote emotional and social growth, and foster a lifelong love of learning.
Reading keeps them away from screen time, protecting them from possible mental health disorders resulting from harmful content on the internet. Eventually, they will become teens who read rather than are addicted to screens.
Important piece of advice: For early childhood, we strongly recommend physical books. They are better than screens for brain development, focus, sleep and parent-child bonding.
Do gifted children read early?
Children who start reading early, on their own, with little to no support may be gifted. But it’s not always the case.
Reading is a habit that you can instil in your child at an early age. Because kids are hardwired to copy their parents and caregivers, it’s best that you cut down your unnecessary screen time. Read to your kids, tell them age-appropriate stories, listen to audiobooks together, and help your child learn how to interpret pictures and words as symbols.
Over time, your child will develop a love for reading, which is a wonderful habit for their growing minds.
Is 3 years old too early to read?
No, 3 years old is not too early to read. But not through format instructions! Kids learn language best through play, and the back-and-forth with parents, grandparents, siblings, and other caregivers who talk, read and sing to them.
Kids will learn to recognise sounds in their native language and develop oral skills, which are as valuable as learning to read early. If your child is also learning English as an additional language, regular story time can gently support their English vocabulary alongside their home language.
Reading at an early age activities
Early age reading activities depend on your kid’s exact age. For instance, kids between 3 and 5 years old do better with rhymes, while 5-8-year-old children should read physical books.
Below is a list of some interesting early age reading activities you can pick from, as per your child’s age:
- Develop a strict reading routine (Minimum 20 minutes a day)
- Read what’s interesting to your child
- Try physical books with pictures
- Act while narrating the story
- Daily bedtime story
- Picture book discussion
- Library visits
- Letter and sound games
- Rhyming games
- Storytelling with puppets
- Acting out favourite stories
- Sing nursery rhymes
- Choose books together
- Read recipes step by step while cooking
- Listen to audiobooks
Do everything that interests your kids and make them love reading. Physicians and paediatricians have been touting the benefits of early childhood reading for years.
Credible scientific studies have also confirmed that starting to read at an early age helps build a strong foundation for learning and emotional development.
