Reading to young children sets them up to succeed.

By Diane Davies

We all want our children to be successful! Right?  So how do we define success?  When I checked the Thesaurus, I found words like make it, arrive, pull it off, work out, be a winner, be a smash hit, achieve something or make the grade.  I also came across flourish, grow, prosper, increase, blossom, deliver, and come through with the goods.  The dictionary tells me that successful is resulting or terminating in success. Now that is certainly helpful and makes it all really clear!?!?!?

I found an article online entitled Defining the Successful Child from a site called familyeducation.  “Success means having a favorable outcome or obtaining something that was desired or intended. As we all have individual desires or intentions, we all have different ideas of what a successful life includes. Generally, people define a successful life as being happy, healthy, and able to enjoy life to its fullest.”

‘Reading to young children sets them up to succeed’ perhaps needs to explain what they will succeed at doing.  I believe that children who are read to will absorb more knowledge and develop a better understanding about the world around them and everyday life.  Studies definitely show that children who are read to have enhanced vocabulary skills and are better prepared to learn how to read themselves.  That alone makes the reading routine worth it don’t you think?