Literacy

So much of the intelligence children will ultimately have is developed before they even go to kindergarten.  When you read to them, you are building pathways in their brains needed for successful reading experiences.  They will develop auditory perception that allows them to think about how words sound.  Listening to stories helps children enhance their vocabularies and use longer sentences.  Another wonderful benefit of reading to children is that it increases their attention spans and ability to focus on what is being said.  More than anything else, reading to young children gives them a desire to read (Gisler and Eberts).