A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
At OCASA, we believe that reading is not just about words on a page; it's about unlocking a lifelong love for learning and growth. That’s why we are passionate about nurturing a love for reading at an early age.
We are committed to creating an environment where books become windows to new worlds, and every child is encouraged to grow academically, emotionally, and socially. At OCASA, every page they turn builds the foundation for a happy, motivated, and successful learner.
Let’s dive into how reading at an early age can set your child on the path to a future filled with endless possibilities!
Benefits of Reading at an Early Age
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At OCASA, we inspire the next generation of innovators by encouraging early reading habits, as we believe that reading offers a lot of benefits to students, like:
1. Teaches Aspects of the World
Do you remember the time when you first started reading storybooks and comics? They surely take us to another world, right? That’s the way children learn about different aspects of the world. They create their own world inside their mind, which helps them connect with everything happening around them. Thus, reading development skills are important, as it even works better than watching films or TV.
2. Improves Vocabulary
This is one of the most important benefits of reading for students. When children read, they come across a number of words that they don’t know about, and when they question you about these words, it improves their vocabulary. Just think about it, 20 minutes of reading a day can introduce around a million words in a year. How amazing is that?
3. Builds Critical Thinking
The impact of reading stories does not revolve around engaging children for a short period of time. It helps build their comprehension abilities and analytical thinking. That's why kids at an early age ask a lot of questions while they read stories. It's the reasoning, imagination, and creativity that speak to them while children read.
4. Emotional and Social Growth
Early reading skills help children develop emotional and social growth. When they read about different emotions, relationships, feelings, empathy, positive behaviors, and social values, they try to grasp these in their behavior. This way, children grow well both emotionally and socially.
5. Boosts Memory
Early childhood reading plays a very important role in boosting children's retention and memory. When kids read, they don't just go through the words; they soak in every piece of information written in their storybooks. Whenever they come across a relatable word or situation, their core memory reminds them about the things they read. This is why reading development skills should be nurtured from an early age.
6. Creates Lifelong Love for Learning
Young minds are very curious about everything. When they read different books and stories, they start aspiring for more knowledge and learning. Children with a set story time and a habit of reading children's magazines or even comics perform well academically and learn everything much more quickly.
How OCASA Develops Early Reading Skills in Children
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By following a student-centered approach, OCASA educators ensure that children from TK to 5 develop their early reading skills effectively. By providing the following facilities, we ensure that students get joy-filled reading experiences:
- Literacy Rich Environment
At OCASA, we ensure that students get a literacy-rich environment in which they can explore different aspects of reading and learning. This way, we involve kids in language games and fun activities so that they find reading development skills exciting and full of joy. - Shared Reading Activities
From A..B..C..D.. to words and sentences, our educators ensure that students learn everything together. We believe that teachers, friends, and peers help each other understand better. With mixed-age classrooms, interactive storytelling sessions, and Q&A activities, children from TK-5 develop early reading skills playfully. - Library Access for Children
Reading is incomplete without books, and the library is the place where books come alive and imaginations grow. By providing access to hundreds of books, we ensure that students can explore the world of books outside the classroom as well. Whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, or graphic novels, students can develop a love for reading and learning with these checked-out books. - Interactive Conversations
At OCASA, reading is not a one-way activity; it is a journey of sharing ideas and learning from others. Our teachers make sure that students participate in Q&A sessions to express their reading experiences. While doing so, every child learns from one another and is inspired to read more often. - Hands-on Learning Materials
We use hands-on learning materials like alphabet blocks, flashcards, and letter-tracing activities to make reading more interactive. These materials encourage students to take an interest in developing their reading skills. - Phonics and Phonemic Awareness
Our educators teach the connection between letters and sounds to build the foundation for reading among children. When students learn with examples, they understand much better.
How Parents Can Develop Reading Development Skills
Did you know that children develop their neural connections and language knowledge during their first six years of life? Since most of this time is spent by kids with their parents, they can significantly help in early childhood reading. And if you want to know how? Let’s read through these pointers:
1. Lead Children Through Self-Reading
It's a well-known fact that children repeat what they see. So, if you want early reading skills among your kids, you must indulge in reading yourself. Or else, you can also have the same reading time, where you can read books together. This way, children engage in reading better.
2. Let Children Choose Their Own Books
It’s not just about color or cover; when children start choosing their own books, they create a liking towards a particular character, theme, topic, or genre. And we all know that when kids do what they love, they excel at it.
3. Introduce Famous Kids' Book Series
When children read about different characters or topics, they discuss them with their school and neighborhood friends. Introducing already-famous book series can help them participate in such conversations, as this might lead them to read together.
4. Join Reading Club
Joining a reading club can be a great way to make reading enjoyable. When children make friends, they learn everything very quickly. So, instilling reading development skills will become easier when kids interact and engage with each other.
Conclusion
Early reading skills can bring a lot of advantages to children, like improved vocabulary, development of social-emotional skills, and critical thinking skills. To ensure that early childhood reading sets a strong foundation, OCASA provides a literacy-rich environment, engages children in interactive reading activities, and offers opportunities for them to explore books at their own pace at our newly opened library that is accessible for all. By following all the tips discussed in this blog, parents can also support the early childhood reading journey of their kids.
