Easterseals Celebrates Reading the Dr. Seuss Way!

“A person’s a person, no matter how small” (Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!) and it’s never too early to read with your children!

In fact, many researchers believe that reading to your baby in the womb during the third trimester creates a soothing, familiar sound that fosters early bonding, kick starts early brain development and may even contribute to early language learning.

March 2 was Read Across America Day, which commemorates the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, one of the world’s most popular children’s book authors. Having sold an estimated 5-700 million copies in 95 countries to date, Dr. Seuss wrote his biggest hits post-World War II while living in Southern California.

Early Head Start and Head Start programs at Easterseals Child Development Services centers across SoCal—serving families with children from birth to five years of age—celebrated the occasion in a variety of ways during a week-long slate of fun—including a Dr. Seuss Book Distribution Day, food (including green eggs & ham), games, crafts, activities and (“of course, of course”) reading circles!

In addition to every child receiving a Dr. Seuss book to take home, plans included dressing as your favorite Dr. Seuss character for Crazy Hair Day, Pajama Day and Wacky Wednesday. Children also helped cook green eggs & ham and made crafts like Cat in the Hat hats out of red cups.

“It was truly a memorable week,” said Sarah Chaudhry, MS, Center Director of the Montclair center. “The children and their families were so excited to receive their Dr. Seuss books. Making reading fun definitely gets kids excited about doing it. Even some of the children who are just two or three years old are able to read some of the words! It was very joyful.”

How Books Help Children Grow

Reading is essential for children as it boosts cognitive development, fosters language skills and builds emotional intelligence by stimulating imagination and empathy. It strengthens parent-child bonds, improves focus and memory and acts as a foundation for academic success, providing a significant head start for school.

According to the American Library Association, children who read at least three times weekly are twice as likely to recognize all letters and have higher word-sight recognition. Daily reading exposes children to nearly 300,000 more words by age five. And studies show that early reading skills also create a foundation that promotes higher math achievement.

Visit our website to learn more about Easterseals Childhood Development programs in Southern California.