Why You Should Expose Your Kid To Local Stories At An Early Age

            Every now and then as we grow up we come across a series of stories in between our textbooks, the shelves of our school library, and even scattered magazines below our coffee tables. To say that the art of reading is lost in this generation is untrue—because underneath the rise of gadgets and everything digital in this era, there is one thing that remains alive and well: the curiosity for knowledge and creativity of the children.

            Some people seem to forget that reading is still important for kids as opposed to exposing them to easier forms of entertainment such as leaving them with phones to watch videos over but the truth is, the art of reading is now more important than ever, especially that most young minds nowadays are occupied with television shows and video games—leaving little to no space left for their creativity and imagination running wild because it is already presented right there in front of them.

Which is why, parents must need to relearn the importance of literary exposure to their children at a young age,and introducing them little by little to simple stories such as the ones written by our Filipino authors to foster an educative and curious environment for the kids to embody as they age.

            For one,reading to your children enables them to slowly understand the importance of language and enhances their listening and understanding skills that stimulates their imagination.Before we were set out into the world of reading, we were all first introduced with the concept of sounds before the actual words. Reading to your kids expands their understanding of the way things work, and even if they are not familiar with the existence of printed words yet, they are already exposed to the harmony of language and sounds that it would be easier for them to learn reading naturally and effectively in the years to come. It would help the children in the future to harness their social and cognitive skills with any situation, learning to take their good reasoning, intelligence, and memory into good practice because they have already been trained right from the very beginning. The more they are exposed to words at an early age, the more they are less likely to misinterpret situations, and that would certainly be a great help for them in the long run.

            Moreover,reading to your children prepares them for academic success.Well-read children always excel in at least one area in school, especially when their curiosity and imagination has been trained to reach for the highest of highs and achieve their goals outstandingly. Most kids are naturally competitive, so adding early knowledge and intelligence to the mix certainly elevates their brains among those who weren’t exposed to reading and listening at an early stage. While it is not guaranteed that your child will immediately or magically learn to say words at a drop of a hat, reading to them, even at their infancy stage, will certainly give them a jumpstart to vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and the ability to comprehend situations as they interact with the world around them the more they grow.

            Furthermore,reading helps you acquire a special bond with your child.Through this simple activity of reading to them at least once every day, or more effectively at night time, this encourages your child to develop a sense of intimacy with you as their parent. Although most of them might not understand what you are reading because of their age, it still gives them a sense of reassurance that will make them feel loved and close to you, and in turn builds a positive and loving environment between you and your child.

            Additionally,reading to them at an early age builds your child to a life-long love for literature and creativity.Making kids realize the importance of books and reading at a young age will surely cultivate their minds to think that reading is a lot more fun than it sounds. Reading aloud to your children fosters an environment which creates a place where books are pleasant things to be trusted, and that produces wonderful things and experiences. In turn, they will most likely develop a commitment for reading that would more or less help them achieve academic success as they go on to grow.

            Lastly¸reading to them, especially local stories made by local authors, will help them develop a sense of identity of being a Filipino, and walk with pride the lessons they have learned over their early years.Classic fables and parables are what made us have a sense of learning lessons through stories, especially with ones we have learned from our earliest years in school such asSi Pagong at Si Matsing,Langgam at Tipaklong,andAlitaptap at Paruparoamong a few. Over the years we have grown to readBi-ag ni Lam-angand simplified versions ofIbong Adarna,and later on, tackling the famousNoli Me TangereandEl Filibusterismo. These are classics, ones that never leave our classrooms, and ones we never forgot even until now. If we take this mindset into consideration and apply them to the concept of reading to children, the stories we tell them as early as now will always translate into the kind of personality they will have when they grow up.

            So read. Read to them as much as possible, and make it a routine for them to learn little by little each day. Expose them to the wonders of literary magic, and let your child wander off as they age with pieces of knowledge and curiosity they have adapted from reading. Teach your child to love reading books, and the books itself will surely teach them a lot of realizations between the familiar and unfamiliar, even when there will come a time  you are not able to.