Why we share literature with children

Why We Share Literature with Children

·       It’s fun. Reading is enjoyable to both the teacher and students.  The cover is like movie poster or advertisement  for a book. It entices us and makes us want to read it.

·       It helps grow vocabulary and teaches new words. Reading is more effective at helping young student acquire new vocabulary more so than drilling words with flash cards.

·       Develops empathy. Literature exposes us as the audience to new people. Readers may be introduced to people they don’t readily see in their community. As a reader you can begin to see how other people live and understand their beliefs.

·       Supports lifelong readers. You are never going to want to read if you never even start to read.  Reading helps young people discover their preferences. They will get to know what type of genre they enjoy best.

·       Helps readers to connect to characters or events and reflect. Find books that show kids themselves. Seeing characters like themselves or their families, is the best way to draw students in.  They want to feel valid and important and what better way than to have a character that reminds them of themselves.

·       Reading about and gaining insight other people’s experiences. As stated before, reading helps readers begin to understand the lives of other people. They can begin to see and hopefully feel what other people may feel living in our community.