As parents we are also teachers. We influence children in many ways. For instance, by what we do and don’t do things, what we value and ignore, how we spend our time with them, and the interests and activities we encourage. After all, the abilities and interests we choose in childhood usually influence the paths we choose as adults. It is not just about careers, but a life that is rich and enriching.
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but at least we can prepare our children for the future.”
Here are two critical skills: Reading and Writing. These skills enhance a child’s ability to learn faster.
Reading
Anybody who is fond of reading can never really feel lonely. And we say that from personal experience. Children who are encouraged to read from a young age not only have better verbal skills, but are also more expressive and imaginative. Reading leads to imagination and creativity. When children watch television, they are watching a readymade animated visual representation of what the creator of the TV programme has imagined. This does not even nudge a child to make an effort to visualise, making a child lazy to imagine. So, when we are reading, there is only one stimulus – the text and the child has to depend on oneself to imagine or visualise what is being expressed in the book.
Teaching your children to love reading means they will grow up to be sensitive, creative and perceptive human beings.
Writing
Putting one’s thoughts on paper enhances self-expression and nurtures individuality. Each child has a different handwriting and a different personality. In a way, one’s handwriting is an extension of one’s unique personality. Learning experts also believe that learning by writing (as opposed to rote memory) “enhances the brain’s intake, processing, retaining, and retrieving of information.” It’s because writing takes a certain kind of internalisation and involvement and therefore the child owns what they are write.
Writing also encourages the development of empathy, something that is so crucial for any relationship – professional or personal.
Encouraging your child to write makes them more persuasive, confident, and expressive.
Reading and writing are not just critical skills for future academics. They help create a firm foundation for their way of thinking, processing information and expressing themselves. So, by getting these right in early childhood, you are helping build a strong foundation for your child’s future.
Read, write, go discover!
