The educational value of reading to children

The Grade One children have just come in from afternoon recess. It's a warm afternoon in late spring and they have been engaged in an energetic game of Touch Tag. They're hot, sweaty and restless, not at all ready to settle down to work. The teacher says nothing but picks up a book and begins leafing through it. It's the tale of "Bunnicula". The children have been listening to a chapter a day for the past several days and they've found it engrossing. Suddenly the room becomes quiet. Little feet become still under the desks. Eyes are raised expectantly to the teacher's face as the children settle down quickly and wait for today's installment to begin.

Encouraging good listening habits is only one of the educational benefits of storytelling, and children can begin reaping these benefits long before formal schooling begins. Every child should know the sense of comfort and security that comes from snuggling up with a loving parent or grandparent and sharing a story. It is irrelevant whether the tale be told from memory or read from a book. At this early age, the educational benefits of listening to a story are an added advantage.

Stories can help a youngster distinguish make-believe from reality. Questions such as: "Do you think a real bunny can talk?" make him stop and consider. After a number of stories and similar questions the difference will become clear. As he gets older, the terms fiction and non-fiction can be introduced.

Stories develop and expand vocabulary. Do you remember wondering, as a child, what an ogre was? In almost every story there is new terminology to be explained: briar patch, goatherd, thatched roof, dilapidated. The child may not remember the explanation exactly, but when he hears it again, he'll have at least a vague idea of its meaning.

Stories teach values. Almost all fiction for young children ends with the good guys winning and the villains being punished. Again, carefully-phrased questions can lead the listener to reflect. He may articulate the value for himself. "Why did the wolf deserve to be punished?"

Depending on the story, the answer could be, "He was mean to the grandmother," or "He wrecked the pig's house". That child has begun to grasp the concepts that it's good to be kind to other people and that we should not create havoc in other people's houses.

Sometimes books can give information. Before a holiday, one can give information about air planes, ships, or trains. Another can show attractive pictures of scenes to be found at the destination.  Before an operation, books can tell what to expect at the hospital. Before choosing a pet, books can list advantages or disadvantages of different breeds of dogs and cats. Anything that is likely to occur in a child's life can usually be found in an age-appropriate book.

Books can help a child become aware of emotions, his own and those of others, and help him deal with them appropriately. "How do you think the mother in the story feels? Why is she angry? What could she do to feel happier?"

Reading and follow-up discussions help a child expand his understanding of why people act the way they do, and how he can be a positive factor in making his environment a peaceful and more pleasant place to be for everyone.

Those grade one children who settled down to hear the next chapter of "Bunnicula" have also internalized some important concepts: reading is interesting, all my friends and even the teacher like to read a good story, reading helps me relax, reading makes me forget other things, reading makes time pass quickly, reading must be important because the teacher skips other school stuff to read to us.

Many of those minds are also thinking:"I'm going to pay attention in class because I want to learn to read for myself!"

Would you not agree that there are many valuable educational benefits of storytelling to children?