Short stories for children - How they help kids become avid readers

While conversations about literacy typically begin when children start school, the roots of reading skills begin at birth. The first few years of life are vital for the development of literacy skills, as children absorb the building blocks of language. Through recognising pictures, listening to short stories and eventually identifying words, exploring books at an early age creates a strong foundation for future literacy development.
Although we know that children acquire literacy skills long before they enter a classroom, specialists are not calling for formal instruction to begin at an earlier age. Instead, experts advocate for a more natural unfolding of literacy skills during these developmental years, as our earliest experiences with books and stories should be about enjoyment.
Children as "lookers"
Comic books, as a genre which combines colourful images with small snippets of text, can be the ideal way to introduce children to reading. Comics can familiarise children with the concept of reading, long before they can read for themselves. One way they can do this is by introducing children to book handling behaviours like page turning as they are stimulated by bright colours and pictures. By running a finger along the images as they are reading, parents can also familiarise children with navigating across the page.