Young children have a natural curiosity, a passion for discovery and an optimism that makes everything around them a wonder. When you’re a child, learning can be fun, particularly if that sentiment is reinforced by parents approaching the transition to school and a more formal education.
Imagine that you’re five. It’s your first day of kindergarten and you’re both excited and super nervous. You’ve settled into your desk, and the teacher starts to teach. Imagine how you’d feel if you immediately understood because you’d learned part of this before at home versus if you felt completely lost, and like you were the only kid who didn’t know what the teacher was talking about. The answer is, you’d feel very different. If this feeling of confusion and inadequacy prevailed past the first day, and began to seem continual, how excited would you be about school? The answer is, not very.
Reading to children consistently from the beginning helps their brain make more neural connections, improves their future math skills as well as vocabulary, creates a special bond between parent and child, and gives them a familiarity with books that will serve them well as they enter school. Books become their friends, and not some intimidating skill required to be mastered in kindergarten.
Confidence comes from real accomplishments rather than just having someone tell you that you’ve done well over and over again (although let’s be real, that helps too!). Reading to children from an early age gives them the tools and motivation to learn how to be a good reader themselves, which in turn gives them the confidence that comes from that skill.
Getting kids excited about reading can be an uphill battle, but it doesn’t have to be. Here at Bookroo, we create an experience that fosters a love of reading in children that is both affordable and convenient for parents. Each month, Bookroo delivers 2-3 children’s books to your door, chosen by our team after extensive research and wrapped individually to feel like gifts. Receiving a package addressed to them each month, containing multiple wrapped books gets kids super excited about reading. One exchange between a mother and her son upon receiving their first Bookroo box went like this.
Mom: "You got some mail today."
Son: "What is this?"
Mom: "A surprise."
Son: "Is it my birthday today?"
[after opening the Bookroo box and books]
Son: “ This is awesome. I hope I can get some more.”
They come to recognize subconsciously that books are exciting and worthy of being gifted. They get exposed to new and different books, and they get to build their own collection of books that they feel some ownership over and pride for. It’s a win-win-win for parents, kids, and future school success alike. Helping your child love to read makes all the difference, not only for their early child education, but for their education for the remainder of their lives--it’s an investment in their futures. If you’re interested in learning more about how Bookroo can help you inspire this love of reading please visit us at
www.bookroo.com.
This is a guest post from Jane Tanner Co-founder of Bookroo
