We read to children for all the same reasons we talk with children; to reassure, to entertain, to bond, to inform or explain, to arouse curiosity and to inspire. But in reading aloud, we also:
- Condition the child's brain to associate reading with pleasure
- Create background knowledge
- Build vocabulary
- Provide a reading role model
Reading Fact 1: Human Being Are Pleasure-Centered
Human will voluntarily do things, which brings them pleasure. Pleasure is like the glue that holds our attention - but only to what we like. Every time we read to a child, we're sending "pleasure" message (glue) to the child's brain. However, there're also the "unpleasures" associated with reading - boring, threatening and without meaning. If the child seldom experiences the "pleasures" of reading and meets only the "unpleasures", then the natural reaction will be withdrawal.
Reading Fact 2: Reading Is An Accrued Skill
Reading is like riding a bicycle, or driving a car; in order to get better at it you must do it. And the more you read, the better you get at it.
From: Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook 5th. Edition