Benefits of Developing Literacy Skills at an Early Age

On September 8, the world observes International Literacy Day. But what exactly is literacy?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, literacy is the quality or state of being literate: educated; able to read and write. Sadly, according to UNESCO, there are over 780 million illiterate adults in the world, most of whom are women who still lack basic reading and writing skills. This is one of the main reasons why International Literacy Day is observed every year on September 8 to remind the public of its importance for the betterment of communities, societies, and individuals. The observance is also to highlight the positive effects of a higher literacy rate. How can a higher literacy rate be achieved? By providing varied literacy materials to kids at an early age! Early exposure to these literacy materials helps them develop literacy skills effectively.

There are a number of benefits to developing literacy skills at an early age. But before we delve into them, there are a few key points to remember in developing literacy skills at an early age:

• It can be highly dependent on your literacy skills. After all, parents, caregivers or guardians are kids' first teachers, and you cannot teach what you don't know.
• Instilling a love of reading in your child is a key to kids' success in the future.
• The first 2000 days of your child's life are crucial in developing reading skills.
• Develop literacy skills by increasing their access to quality early literacy materials.

Here are the benefits of developing literacy skills at an early age:

1. It strengthens brain functions. Babies learn to talk by imitating the sounds they hear around them. From what they hear, their young brain forms meaningful connections. This is why providing them with activities that have positive associations very early in life has favourable results. 

Talking, singing, and reading to your kids feed their brain cells. It doesn't matter whether or not they understand what you are saying, but exposing them to a number of verbal words through books, songs, and daily conversations will only strengthen brain functions. As a result, the more literacy materials kids are exposed to the healthier their brains become.

Grab this amazing literacy material for your baby and let them enjoy a musical toy that has13 sounds and 11 songs.

2. It sets a foundation for academic success. Reading expands kids' vocabulary. So when your child is encouraged to love reading at an early age, chances are great that they'd perform better in other skills as well such as writing and speaking. Writing, reading and speaking skills are three pillars of academic success. Failure to strengthen these three pillars of academic success hampers a child's interest in committing to higher education. When a child struggles with reading, their interest to learn other learning areas decreases as well to the extent of dropping out of school.

3. It bolsters confidence and independence. Studies show that most children with well-developed reading, writing, and speaking skills tend to perform better at school and can handle tasks of their own well. Kids who do public speaking are good at reading and writing as well.

4. It promotes linguistic competence. The term linguistic competence refers to "the unconscious knowledge of grammar that allows a speaker to use and understand a language". Exposure to literacy at a young age leads to a richer vocabulary, improved grammar, higher quality writing, better spelling, and more precise oral communication; hence, improved linguistic competence.

Take this wonderful spell buzz spelling game (set of 5) home for your little one. Introduce to them the world of words to reap the benefits of developing literacy skills at an early age.

Considering the above-mentioned benefits of developing literacy skills at an early age, it is only justified to expose your children to toys and games that enhance literacy skills. Find toys and games that cater to the needs of young children and enhance literacy skills among other skills at Snooplay.

Shop for more toys and games for all age groups based on their personality types, skills and interests at snooplay.in.