Wellington College International Shanghai Early Year Center Inspiring Lifelong Readers from An Early Age

January 25 12:54 2022

The concept of reading with children at home has long been informed by the cliché of the bedtime story. Admittedly, it is appealing. After all, is there any better way to wind down after a long day than under the covers with a great book? But the parents should not think of reading with the children only as something the parents do to put them to sleep every night. Many of the parents fail to understand that reading at an early age is a highly active form of learning. Regularly reading with the children yields a host of fundamental and long-lasting benefits. It helps to build the child’s vocabulary and communication skills. It sparks curiosity and fosters critical thinking and, importantly, it strengthens the parent-child bond. It is never too early to get the child interested in reading and here are some effective ways to do it.

Wellington College International Shanghai

As one of the best international kindergarten in Shanghai, Wellington College International Shanghai’s Early Years Centre thinks that reading should not be a passive exercise for the child. Get the child involved. Make whatever the parents read the starting point for a conversation. Talk about the book’s cover and the images on its pages. This is a great way to introduce new descriptors into their vocabulary. Why not discuss the characters and ask the child how they feel about them or what they would do if they were in the character’s shoes? This can help to expand their capacity for empathy. Leave the story open-ended and ask them what they think is going to happen next. In addition to stimulating their imagination, this helps to hone their sense of narrative development and how they understand cause and effect. Encourage them to express and explain opinions they have about the book. Such conversations provide the building blocks of critical thinking.

Wellington College International Shanghai

The child can interact with the books the parents read together long after the parents return them to the shelf, too. At Wellington College International Shanghai’s Early Years Centre, it is common for teachers to incorporate books into engaging activities. For instance, the teachers may let the children put on a small play in which they assume the roles of the characters or have them tell stories using the characters they read about. Both are easily duplicatable in the home. The possibilities are endless.  

 Wellington College International Shanghai

It is also important to introduce a variety of styles and subjects into the child’s reading habits. Don’t just limit them to fairy tales and other fictions. Take care to integrate books about the real world into the child’s reading habits. These books can be a starting point to other avenues of exploration, particularly online. A book about a natural phenomenon may inspire them to learn more by hopping online and visiting National Geographic. A book about locomotives may inspire them to look at Popular Mechanics magazine. By linking the books the parents and the children read to other sources of knowledge, the parents are cultivating curiosity and planting the seeds for more effective research skills later on in their academic career.

Wellington College International Shanghai

As an international kindergarten in Shanghai, Wellington College International Shanghai’s Early Years Centre hold the idea that the best way to get the children interested in reading is to make the parents be a reader themselves. Young children are keen observers. The parents serve as the primary model for the children’s behavior. They watch what the parents do, internalise it and emulate it. So just imagine what they will do when they see how much the parents enjoy sitting with a good book. It just might ignite a passion for lifelong reading. This will serve them well as they grow into adults, university students and beyond!

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Company Name: Wellington College International Shanghai
Contact Person: Admission Department
Email: Send Email
Phone: +86-21 5185-3866
Address:No.1500 Yao Long Road, Pudong New District
City: Shanghai
Country: China
Website: https://shanghai.wellingtoncollege.cn/

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