Essay on Reading and Language Development in Children
Reading children their
stories books every night has been a tradition for most family. However, apart
from parent-child bonding moment, scholars now suggest that reading books also
help children in their language development. A large number of research assert that
particular types of experience, such as reading books, can play a significant
role in advancing a child’s linguistic skills. This is because children learn language
through the models provided by the parents of caregiver. In this case, parents
who expose their kids to books facilitate language growth and development of
their linguistic skills (Dickinson, 2011, p. 5).
Similarly, child
experts contest that reading in particular has a great impact on the language
skill of a child. This is because language learning requires three basic
principles: (1) exposure to new words, (2) interest, and (3) interactivity and
responsiveness. Studies show that children tend to draw their attention towards
sounds that are unfamiliar to them. This means that exposing them to different
words and sounds supports their ability to make sense, understand and interpret
the words. In addition to this, scholars
suggest that children are able to learn more when the topic or the activity is
of immediate interest to them. This will then trigger their curiosity thus,
paving the way for a responsive interaction regarding the meaning of certain
words.
Reading, as an activity embodies this qualities or
principles of language learning. First, it provides children the opportunity to
hear new sounds, words, and vocabulary in different grammatical sentences.
Children books are especially written in short sentences in order to allow the
child to easily retain and comprehend the words. Alternately, book reading
enriches the child’s desire for learning as it promotes both interest and
attention. This is because story books use bold colors as well as interesting
images that appeal to young minds. Accordingly, reading helps children develop
their linguistic skills as it triggers interaction with the parent. This
therefore suggests that reading maximizes the different ways in which children
can learn language (Dickinson, 2011, p. 5).
There are numerous
researches that support this principle in language learning. For instance, a
recent study involves a one-month home-based experiment. It includes parents in
an experiment group in which they are instructed to read books to children and
at the same time increase their interaction by raising open-ended questions.
After a 9 month-follow up, results shows that the children from the
experimental group were able to demonstrate expressive language ability. In
addition to this, children also displayed a higher frequency of utterance as
well as phrases and sentence formation (Whitehurst, et. al, 2010, p. 552).
Similarly, another
study in Europe underscored the importance of reading in a child’s language
development. The study involved mothers who are at their 36th week
of pregnancy. The families would then receive books of four packs in the course
of two years. The parents are instructed to read the books to their children as
well as encourage the child to continue and engage in reading. Findings show
that children in this group displayed positive results in terms of their
vocabulary, expressive language, as well as in their responsive language
(Wasik, et.al, 2001, p. 243).
These are just some if
the studies that suggest the importance of reading in a child’s linguistic
growth. Hence, it is crucial for the parent to facilitate this language
development by exposing the child to reading as early as possible.
Reference
Dickinson, D. (2011). “How Reading Book Fosters Language Development”. Child
Development Research. 20, pp.1-15
Wasik, B. (2001). “Beyond The Pages of a Book.”. Journal of
Education. 93, pp. 243-250
Whitehurst, G. & Falco, F. (2010). “Accelerating Language
Development through Picture Book
Reading”. Developmental Psychology.,24, pp.552-559
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