Skills Developed:

• Listening: Children learn to focus their attention, follow along with narratives, and understand spoken language.
• Comprehension: They begin to grasp the meaning of stories, recognize cause and effect, and identify key events.
• Phonetic Awareness: Exposure to letter sounds and rhyming words lays the groundwork for decoding and reading independently.
• Imagination: Stories spark curiosity and creativity, helping children visualize characters, settings, and outcomes.
• Vocabulary: Regular storytime introduces new words in context, enhancing language development.

• Read aloud from age-appropriate storybooks with large, colorful illustrations.
• Use big books or picture cards to enhance engagement.
• Pause during reading to ask open-ended questions like “What do you think happens next?” or “How do you think the character feels?”
• Encourage children to repeat phrases, predict outcomes, and express their thoughts or experiences related to the story.

Reading at an early age supports:

• Cognitive development, such as memory retention and logical thinking.
• Language growth, including grammar, sentence structure, and storytelling skills.
• Social-emotional skills, by helping children understand emotions, empathy, and relationships.
• Cultural awareness, through stories from diverse backgrounds and traditions.

Reading Class is foundational for literacy and lifelong learning. Children learn:

• Print awareness (e.g., how to hold a book, read from left to right).
• Phonics and letter recognition, which prepares them for writing and spelling.
• Story structure, such as beginning, middle, and end.
• A love for books and learning, fostering independent reading habits.