Early Words: Reading to the kids assists later literacy

Early Words: Reading to the kids assists later literacy

Winston-Salem Journal | Early Words: Reading to the kids assists later literacy

NEW YORK - Literacy is a life lesson - beginning at the first cry or coo, and basically never ending - so to get people psyched up for something that can seem daunting, it's best to get them hooked young.

Reading aloud to infants, toddlers, preschoolers and then schoolchildren might be the best bait, said Dawnene D. Hassett, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the department of curriculum and instruction.

She said that more than 30 years of research about early literacy all points to having adults read to children as the first step toward success.

"Oral language development is so important for early literacy success," Hassett said. "When you read books when kids are young, the tangible benefits last through at least the fourth grade. Hearing books with rich language develops vocabulary, new concepts, a sense of story and how books work."


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