Reading Rule no. 3 Read to them is one of the most important Reading Rules of all. I was reminded of this as I read a recent PISA study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
PISA is the OECD Programme for Internation Student Assessment. It evaluates education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-olds in participating countries.
The PISA in Focus 10 report states that fifteen year old students whose parents read books to them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher test scores than students whose parents read to them infrequently or not at all. The average benefit of teens whose parents read to them every day, or almost every day, when they were 4 or 5 years old was equivalent to six months of extra schooling. Best of all, the advantage gained by reading to children was evident regardless of socio-economic status.
Reading is so important to the development of your child, and reading to your child clearly has numerous advantages. Just remember to follow the advice of Rule no. 3 and keep reading to your child long after they can read independently.
