Reading and Spelling

When a child learns to read, a new world of information and imagination opens up for them. Every word must be associated with certain actions or objects, and imagination creates a real image of what is being read.

If you were taught the sound of foreign letters and asked to read a text in this language, then reading unfamiliar words, your imagination would be turned off, and you would not be able to tell anyone about what you read. But if this is your native language and familiar words, then the mind begins to reproduce images of what is being read in the imagination and convey the meaning of what was read to consciousness. And spiritual things have the ability to influence conviction and change something in character and thinking.

Reading is divided into different types: aloud and to oneself, with expression and transmission of emotions and without that. It can be fast and slow, literate and not very, complete and selective. It is difficult to understand a silent reader and determine their ability to read. But parents should pay attention to how competently their child reads, how they place stress marks, finish sentences, emphasize this or that important place. Children do not immediately master this science and father and mother need to provide an example of correct pronunciation of the text being read.

Reading aloud develops memory, forms attentiveness and concentration, improves diction, teaches literacy, increases vocabulary, forms logical, analytical and critical thinking, develops the ability to retell, forms breathing.

There are also spiritual advantages that parents need to know and consider: reading aloud reduces stress levels, develops empathy, forms perseverance, patience, attentiveness, reasonableness, persistence, courage for public speaking.

The habit of reading instills in the child a love for knowledge, teaches them to listen to others and share their knowledge, not be afraid to make mistakes and have confidence in themselves.

When reading, the child mainly uses other people's work and voices other people's thoughts, but the Lord has also put the science of spelling into human abilities. As a rule, children begin to learn this at school age. This is what teaches children not only to receive knowledge, but also to share it, to show what level they are at and how literate they are. Spelling consists of orthography, grammar, punctuation, morphology and syntax. This science is not mastered in one day. A person requires many years of learning to achieve literate expression of their thoughts and feelings in written form.

An illiterately composed text, absence of rules and presence of errors create a bad reputation for the writer and they cease to inspire trust and exert influence.

Remember how many times you wrote school essays? And how many books our teachers called us to read and retell? Sometimes, how we wanted to play and not take these books and textbooks in our hands, but we were forced to study this and now we do not regret it at all.

It is important to constantly teach the child to write and read, correctly express their thoughts and feelings aloud and in writing. Unfortunately, in many modern schools they no longer attach importance to this skill and introduce a form of checkmarks and crosses, where it is enough not to formulate the correct answer, but only to mark it. Such an approach does not develop intellect and does not teach literacy. And if you noticed that your children's educational material does not call them to write and read a lot, then introduce a rule in your family: rewrite useful books or Biblical verses in a special notebook. Let this habit become a norm of life for children and a rule of their home education. Be sure to check how competently your children write, how they construct sentences and what mistakes they make. And let your instructions in this matter be gentle, imbued with love and patience.

It is also important to pay attention to the child's handwriting. It should be even, beautiful and clean. We all once learned this, and if these first steps remain in your memory, then it will be easy for you to understand how difficult it is for little ones to begin this learning, how quickly their little fingers get tired, how they want to drop everything and go play.

But there is such a word "must," which calls to sit and draw incomprehensible signs.

If you see errors or difficulties in writing the first letters, then show how this should look correctly, how to hold the pen, where the second hand should lie and what posture should be at this time.

Spelling not only teaches children literacy, but gradually forms the character and psyche of the child. Organization and literacy in this matter is transferred to other spheres of life, teaches order, quality, organization in other matters as well.

A literate person will immediately notice a "mistake" in another person's work, but their reaction will depend on their personal internal qualities.

It is worth noting that different children have different abilities for reading and spelling. Some catch everything on the fly and master these sciences without errors, while others cannot succeed at anything and find it difficult to assimilate grammar and reading. Someone lags behind in development and needs time for the necessary processes to form in their head. And there are also those who have impaired brain functions from birth and are simply not capable of adequately perceiving and transmitting the proposed information, although they look normal externally. Parents need to understand who their child is and accept what they discover in them and give exactly the load that the child's mind is capable of accepting and processing. There is no need to make a child prodigy out of an ordinary child, or demand Olympic records from a disabled person.

Reading and spelling should not take up all study time, as at this time the body does not have physical activity. Let these lessons be no more than an hour at one time and alternate with physical exercise or active games.

As children grow and master the ability to read and write, it is necessary to involve them in active participation in reading the Bible in the family circle. Select their favorite stories for them and ask them after reading to retell what they understood, how they would behave, how bad differs from good.

The Bible has a very beneficial influence on the development of the intellect and consciousness of the young reader. The child not only learns literacy when reading God's Word, but also passes through themselves those truths that form their principles, establish them in truth, teach them to distinguish sin in any form and comprehensively develop good character traits.

God's promises, learned in childhood, will forever remain in consciousness and will be reminded by the Holy Spirit at the right time.

If possible, introduce lessons of copying the Bible into your home program and check the literacy of this event.

Remember that in contact with God's Word, not only do you teach your children something, but the most powerful Forces in the entire Universe enter into their upbringing. God loves to cooperate with those who do everything possible on their part to open to the young mind the beauty of God's love and raise worthy heritage for the Heavenly Kingdom. And children will learn what you offer them and what you will expect from them.

1. Please read Philem.1:19; John 8:6; Prov.1:8; 2:6; 9:9; Eph.6:4; Ps.1:1-3; 118:11,99-100; James 1:19; Acts 17:11, in light of this chapter.

2. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind?

3. What did you understand from this chapter?

4. How can spiritual things, read in text, influence a person's character and thinking?

5. Why is it important to monitor how a child reads, places stress marks and makes accents?

6. How does reading influence the development of memory, attention and thinking?

7. What spiritual qualities does reading aloud form?

8. Why does spelling play an important role in a child's education?

9. How can modern teaching methods based on checkmarks and crosses affect a child's literacy?

10. Why is it useful to rewrite books or biblical verses in a notebook?

11. How does spelling influence a child's character and organization?

12. Why is it important to consider children's individual abilities for reading and writing?

13. How does reading the Bible help children not only develop literacy, but also form spiritual principles?

14. Is God interested in our children being literate?