An assignment for parents: Read to your young child

Monday, March 14, 2016 | 2 a.m.

For all the ways parents can brighten the future for their young children, none has more value — immediately and for long-term success in school and life — than reading them a bedtime story.

It’s not just to hear them giggle at the drawings or mimic the dialog. And it’s not only to help them fall asleep so you can watch TV.

Reading storybooks to young children is a fundamental learning and development strategy. Between preschool and third grade, children learn to read. The toggle switches in third grade, when students begin to read to learn. That turning point is a critical juncture in a child’s education, and it comes at a time when children should feel comfortable reading and growing their vocabulary.

The ability to read opens new, exciting horizons for discovery and enrichment. It’s in third grade that children in social studies class start to read stories about heroes, U.S. presidents and world leaders, and begin exploring the world of science by reading about plants, animals, the environment and planets.

Here’s the reality: The road to literacy begins at birth (listening), advances to talking (“momma”), segues to reading, then transitions to writing. A kindergartener should know 50 words by sight, 100 in first grade and 200 to 300 by second grade.

Being read a story by an attentive, animated adult is one of the most pleasurable experiences a child can have. The drill should go beyond just reading and include conversation about the story as it unfolds.

Isn’t that a silly character? Which is your favorite? What do you think she will do next? Why do you think he said that? What’s your favorite character on this page? Why? Which one would you want as a pet?

The story becomes an adventure shared between child and parent, a conversation in which each is focused on the other being entertained while learning. As a book becomes familiar, allow the child to read it alone as you help gently along the way.

Not every reading experience will play out while cuddling in a chair at bedtime. If your child grabs a book while you are doing dishes or laundry, he or she still can describe the pictures while the two of you discuss it. As your child grows older and begins to read on his or her own, you can read a book at the same time, then each describe what you read, reinforcing the child’s experience.

No matter what the method or means, the endgame is the same: By introducing young children to the thrill of reading, you will teach them to develop the confidence and skills necessary to read in third grade and further pull back the curtains on the world in which they live.

It shouldn’t just be your responsibility, but your joy, to introduce the practice of reading to your children and equip them with their ticket to adventure and success.

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These books are recommended by the Clark County School District for students in kindergarten and first grade:

• “Are You My Mother?” by P.D. Eastman

• “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

• “Stick and Stone” by Beth Ferry

• “Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do” by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

• “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type” by Doreen Cronin

• “My People” by Langston Hughes

• “I’m New Here” by Anne Sibley O’Brien

• “I Don’t Want to be a Frog” by Devorah Petty

• “Mama Built a Little Nest” by Jennifer Ward

• “King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub” by Audrey Wood.