Reading to children aids in building which of the following?

Reading to children is particularly effective in developing thinking skills, vocabulary, and background knowledge because it exposes them to new words, concepts, and ideas in context. When children are read to, they hear varied sentence structures and vocabulary that they may not encounter in everyday conversation. This exposure helps them to expand their language skills and understand how different words can be used in various contexts.

Additionally, discussing the stories while reading can stimulate critical thinking as children learn to predict outcomes, infer meanings, and connect ideas from the text to their own experiences or to the world around them. This process also builds their background knowledge, helping them to better understand and engage with new information they encounter in the future.

Building these foundational skills is crucial for literacy development and overall cognitive growth, making reading a powerful tool in early childhood education.