By: Dr. Shulamit Ritblatt, Leading Expert in Social-Emotional Development and Early Intervention
“I’ll tell you a story – just like you tell me a story.
You’re my inspiration – so teach me more so I can do it too.”
(via Circle of Education® program peaPod™ song “I can tell you a story”)
Why reading together is so important for a child’s development
Reading together is one of the most important adult-child interactions that builds the foundation for trusting relationship and is the cornerstone of cognitive and language development. Research findings indicate that children who are routinely read to and are surrounded by the rich verbal environment are ready to learn and thrive versus children with less exposure to books. Children that are not exposed to books and reading in early stages of their development face tougher learning challenges in school and beyond.
When children spend time with adults, holding books, looking and pointing at the pictures, telling and retelling the story, repeating and imitating the reading process, they develop language and vocabulary, enhance their understanding of the world, and comprehend the content. Reading comprehension is a strong predictor of school success.
Story Time Routine
Integrating reading into the daily routine is important to relationship building and establishing a sense of consistency and security for the young child. It is important to establish story time rituals that include reading aloud, telling stories using puppets, singing songs, and asking open-ended questions of the child. Bed time rituals that include story time help the child calm down and be ready to sleep. These routines can help the child learn words and language structure, enhance understanding and comprehension of the world around, provide introduction to print, reading and writing, enhance imagination and abstract thinking, and most importantly, support the formation of relationships with the adults around.
How can the Circle of Education® Program help to establish and support Story Time?
The Circle of Education® program incorporate hundreds of books into school lessons (EduPod Module for teachers) and family activities (ParentPod™ Module for families). The books utilized in the program are selected based on the content area, the context, and the specific learning goals and objectives as delineated for each lesson/activity. These books are used to elicit and encourage the child to think and reflect about the issue while identifying their thoughts and feelings. The Circle of Education® utilizes an interactive reading process in which children are active participants with adults.
The Circle of Education® research and evidence-based program for children ages birth to 8, focuses on Social Emotional Wellness, Academic Development, Family Engagement, Learning Readiness, Behavioral Health and Early Intervention. The Circle of Education® program was developed by Dr. Shulamit Ritblatt, a leading expert in social-emotional development and early intervention. Dr. Ritblatt is a Professor and past chair (2009 – 2015) of Child and Family Development at San Diego State University and a co-founder of delibrainy LLC.
The Circle of Education® program has been designated as a SELect program by CASEL, designed to be used with children from birth to eight years old.
Visit the Circle of Education® program website www.circleofeducation.com
Read More About the Circle of Education Program
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