Reading Leads to High School Graduation?

Do you ever hear these words?

“Daddy, will you read a book to me?”

“Mommy, can’t I have one more bedtime story?”

If you do, jump for joy because these are the words that lead to high school graduation and success in life.  Sound like a drama queen making a big deal out of nothing? Here’s the reality.

Recent research highlights several important facts when it comes to success in school.

• Children not ready for kindergarten are only half as likely to read well by third grade.
• Children not reading well by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.
• Third grade reading level represents such a critical benchmark because it’s when children make the leap from learning to read to reading to learn.

Statistics like this make a pretty strong case for making “yes” the answer to those sweet little childlike requests even when you are exhausted from your day. 

Young children who are read to frequently are also more likely to:

• Count to 20 or higher (60% vs. 44%)
• Write their own names (52% vs. 40%)
• Read or pretend to read (77% vs. 57%)

These are facts that are difficult to ignore.  Children who are read to at home enjoy a substantial advantage over children who are not. Here are 10 of those advantages. (Statistics from U.S. Department of Education, Educational Testing Services, and National Education Association).

1. Reading to young children increases basic speech skills and encourages “pretend reading” (when a toddler pages through a book while jabbering nonsensical words and sounds).

2. 25% of children who were read to three or four times in the last week by a family member recognized all letters of the alphabet.

3. In addition to nurturing reading comprehension, frequently reading to children helps increase attention span, memory retention, and stronger self-discipline.

4. The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency.

5. Reading to children introduces them to new experiences that could be stressful. 

6. Children who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores.

7. Reading a lot is one of the crucial components of becoming a good reader. The only way to get good at it is to practice.

8. The more students read for fun on their own time, the higher their reading scores are.

9. Middle school students read the most! 70 percent of middle school students read more than 10 books a years compared with 49                                                                percent of high school students.

10. Reading to children helps them view books as fun and a pathway to knowledge rather than a chore. Kids who are exposed to books are much more likely to choose books over video games, television and other forms of entertainment. 

Here’s the link to the   Ready Nation's Study if you’d like to read it for yourself but the most important thing to remember is to read and read often. It's one of the best gifts you can give your child!

Dr. Seuss reading one of his bestselling books for children.
More than 12 million copies have sold and it's been translated in 12 languages!