6 Lifelong Benefits of Learning to Read Early

There are several benefits of learning to read early including:

• Ability to sight-read anything
• Improved reading speed
• Second language learning
• A better understanding of music
• Advanced communication skills
• Love of learning

As parents, we tend to expect that our kids will learn to read once they're in school. Much like other milestones, we let it happen on its own time. Reading skills, though, develop much earlier than most of us think. At Osceola Reads, we understand that the seeds of literacy are planted from birth when our babies start hearing language and listening as we read to them. Once they reach 2 to 3 years of age, toddlers are ready to learn letters and letter sounds, which are the building blocks of reading. Using the Footsteps2Brilliance app is a free and easy way to get your child reading before Pre-K. Talk about a great goal!

Ability to sight-read anything

Sight-reading is the ability to pick up any reading material and read it fluently, with little to no effort. It's the comfort we feel after memorizing sight words such as like, the, and my, but applied to harder words and full sentences. Footsteps2Brilliance has interactive early literacy practice for preschoolers that focuses on letter sounds, letter recognition, and sight words to help build reading fluency.

Improved reading speed

We may not realize it, but the speed at which we read has a huge impact on our understanding. When reading is slow and difficult, focusing on mechanics is more important than comprehending the material. Children must learn to read before they are able to read to learn. Using the record feature on Footsteps2Brilliance can help with fluency and reading speed as they learn to read.

Second language learning

Fluency in one language can lead to fluency in another. This applies to both spoken and written language. Learning language patterns and how the parts of speech fit together is essential to being a great reader. Being bilingual and bi-literate provides immeasurable advantages in lifetime earnings and interpersonal connections. Ensuring that our children have a solid foundation in their first language will make it easier for them to pick up the rules of a second (or third!) language down the road.

A better understanding of music

Music is just like a language, or at least our brains treat it that way. Introducing music and early reading skills simultaneously ignites a child's brain development. Playing and singing along to the songs in the Footsteps2Brilliance app at a young age can help a child solidify reading skills that will encourage musical fluency and literacy later!

Advanced communication skills

As avid readers, we are exposed to all kinds of topics and situations. Reading about how other people navigate choices and relationships provides us with a point of reference for how to do so in our own lives. In addition to understanding how people interact, we learn new ways of piecing together words just from seeing how someone else has written them. The excellent communication skills that result can put us one step ahead in school, at work, and at home.

Love of learning!

Perhaps the most important benefit of learning to read early is the love of learning it fosters. The world opens up when we can pick up a book and find out about anything we want! When we are great at something, we are motivated to do it. Raising curious, engaged learners is possible when we start teaching them to read as early as possible. Reading to our children every day is an easy way to begin instilling this love of learning.

Learn more about how Footsteps2Brilliance encourages early childhood literacy and can give children the head start they need to become readers (and learners) for life!