Did you know that 34% of children entering kindergarten lack the basic skills needed to learn how to read? Reading is a fundamental skill for all children’s development and success in school, and later on in life. Reading aloud to your preschooler helps to build the knowledge and skills needed to prepare him or her for kindergarten and beyond.
There are many great reasons for reading together with your child. Reading expands a child’s vocabulary and gives them the ability to identify and name letters of the alphabet. Moreover, reading is a fun way to bond with your child and is great for fostering his or her imagination and creativity through loving characters and magical places. Lastly, reading helps with your child’s understanding and comprehension of the world and the people in it.
Children who aren’t introduced to reading books at an early age are at a disadvantage compared to those who are once they enter kindergarten and sometimes, as they get older, they continue to struggle more in school. Almost everything we do involves reading in some capacity (you’re reading this right now!), and kids that read consistently grow to be more confident and independent. Simply, reading books make children smarter! What’s your child’s favorite book?
Here’s a list of some of our favorite books at GBCA Head Start:
1. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.
2. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric CarleMama
3. Will You Hold My Hand? By Anna Pignataro
4. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
5. Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
6. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
7. The Gingerbread Man Story Book by Debbie Pullinger
8. My New Friend Is So Fun by Mo Willems
9. If You Give A Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
10. Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Greater Bergen’s Head Start program provides free early childhood education and family services to low-income families in Bergen County, Jersey City and Paterson, NJ. Comprehensive services and resources prepare children for kindergarten, enhance their emotional and physical well-being, and foster stable family relationships.
For more information or to find out if you qualify for GBCA’s Head Start Program call 844-472-4453 or go to www.GBCAHeadStart.org