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The first few years of a child’s life are so important, and it has been said that 90% of the brain’s growth occurs from ages zero to five. With the help of partners across the Bay Area, United Way is working both directly with children to boost their reading skills and learning potential; as well as working on a policy level, to improve early childhood education.
Here are some helpful ways to help your child learn how to read, write, and speak well.
- Surround your infant child with pictures, wall hangings, mobiles, and soft chewable books.
- Make reading to your child a daily activity. Be sure to point at and read signs and pictures. Ask questions like: “What’s that?”or “Where is… ?”
- Have books, magazines, and your child’s drawings around where they can see them. Make sure there are lots of paper, pencils, and crayons for your child to use.
- Play language games - like rhyming words.
- Make reading fun. Stop half-way through the story, and ask your child to come up with their own ending
- Encourage conversation. The amount of words a child hears can be crucial to language development. Ask you child questions about his/ her day.
- Work with your child’s teacher on doing activities at home. Many schoools have reading and writing programs for parents that you may find helpful.
There are of course many more strategies and a lot of resources available across the Bay Area at libraries, schools, and through United Way. By focusing on basics like reading and education we can build a firm foundation in the next generation.
