200,000 WORDS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN | As an author, I understand the importance of reading to little ones regularly. As a parent of 3 boys under 8, Zion (3) being the youngest, I also understand the fatigue and feeling like sitting and reading is one more thing to add to the list. The Basics help remind me that story time isn’t just a fun pastime, it’s building brain power! Zion is learning language, word association and so much more.
As we Read and Discuss Stories, Zion’s favorite question is “What is this?”. As we point and discuss whatever the thing may be, he is learning new words and connecting them to the objects. I’ll see what he notices or how he feels about the illustrations, or I’ll ask him what letters he sees. I learned recently that if a child is read to regularly, by the time they enter Kindergarten they’ve potentially been exposed to over 200,000 words. Reading helps build the neural pathways for language. As we read he is learning word sounds, patterns of speech and intonation. And I love when he points and asks “Is he a bad guy?” based on facial expressions or poses from the book. He is learning to associate emotions and feelings with body language which is so cool to me. There is such a great opportunity for growth, development, and bonding during story time. And oftentimes, even though I’m tired, I end up realizing that I needed the cuddle time just as much as Zion did.
By: Kenny Roberts – Podcaster with True Dad Podcast, Children’s Book Author
