Read 'em and Reap
There is a very good reason why First Lady Laura Bush emphasizes reading to children. Reading raises smart and confident individuals. Reading is in fact a key to your child's success in school and in life.
Millions of Americans spend thousands of dollars purchasing videos, cdroms, self-help or self-improvement books with high hopes of turning their children into super prodigies of the future. Although some of these products may work, thousands of parents are still missing the key to open the locked door of knowledge for our youth. That key is "reading". If one can condense the hidden formula behind the cd's, books and tapes, one can definitely conclude that the very action of reading is in itself, the core of all these products. As a child puts in a cd in the computer drive, he or she is prompted to "read" the screen. Sure, the screen has other stimulants like rhythmic, jolly sounds and colorful, witty characters, but what are these characters encouraging your children to do? To read the flashy words or storylines associated with the screen. This goes the same with the videos and the cassette tapes. The cassette tapes that help children improve their academic performance are usually accompanied with flash cards, which is the core of the reading activity. The answer to a child's success is related to his/her ability to read and comprehend.
Preschool Children
Our preschoolers are always hungry for new and interesting information. The best thing about being a preschooler is being able to absorb so much information in a day's worth and wake up the next day on a full driving gear again, ready and excited about more information to learn. Parents can take this excitement, never-ending curiosity and serious enthusiasm to a positive world of knowledge. Reading is that world where a preschooler can learn facts and at the same time dream about fairy tales and be driven by the colorful sights and vibrant sounds of their imaginations.
This is why First Lady Laura Bush supported "Reach Out and Read" program in Texas, with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending that "pediatricians prescribe reading to infants and toddlers as part of standard pediatric care." This is just part of what The First Lady's Family Literacy for Texas is all about. Studies after studies show that children who are not exposed to reading before school-aged years miss the opportunity to develop the skills needed for them to catch up with their peers in school, leaving them behind in academic performance, a serious setback in the educational and social growth for any child. According to First Lady Laura Bush's initiative, "the gap can widen with each passing school year, often resulting in the students' dropping out before graduating from high school." This domino effect can be easily avoided with reading. A child's success in the earlier years creates the foundation of his/her success in subsequent years and his/her academic future thereafter. The initiative's research also show that "preschoolers who spent hours "playing with books" and are being read to are more likely to start school ready to learn to read." As the child grows, proficient reading is enjoyable, as in a game, reading is not merely a task.
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