Children get hooked on books in different ways. For some, the best way to enjoy a good story is through listening to it by way of an audio book on a CD or MP3 player, sometimes reading along in the book equivalent and sometimes not. It is still excellent for language development, and often a good way of getting kids into reading. Some get quite addicted to it!
Children get hooked on books in different ways. For some, the best way to enjoy a good story is through listening to it by way of an audio book on a CD or MP3 player, sometimes reading along in the book equivalent and sometimes not. It is still excellent for language development, and often a good way of getting kids into reading. Some get quite addicted to it!
An audio book project was run through the Rhodes School of Journalism last year, and this has meant that all of the libraries in Grahamstown are now equipped with audio books for children to enjoy in different languages.]
While we’re on the subject of listening, I would like to emphasise the importance of nursery rhymes for a young child’s reading development. Since even the youngest children can learn to sing or speak a rhyme, rhymes offer them the opportunity to verbalise full sentences and complicated vocabulary at an early age. Children learn the basic structures and language patterns of a language, and pick up on the rhythm of the language. Nursery rhymes are great for reading out loud, or listening to, due to their rhythmic nature, and give children exposure to the language and sounds they will need later on for reading.
Reading or singing nursery rhymes can definitely expand a child’s vocabulary. A nursery rhyme such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” for example, contains complex words such as “twinkle” and “wonder.” Children will hear words they would not otherwise encounter in everyday conversation, and such exposure to new words greatly increases the likelihood that a child will learn how to read well.
Learning and repeating nursery rhymes can also give children practice with the sequencing of events. Many are “mini stories” with clear beginnings, middles, and endings. Sometimes a child who has memorised a nursery rhyme can then “read” that rhyme when it is printed in a book.
So if you don’t already have a book of nursery rhymes at home somewhere, it’s time to dig one up or go to the library. You could also invest in a CD with nursery rhymes – just be prepared to listen to them over and over again!
