Subscribe to this pageFive Ways To Help Your Child Get Ready To Read
From the time they are infants, children learn language and other important skills that will help them learn to read. Whether your child is four days old or four years old, it is not too early or too late to help him or her develop important literacy and pre-reading skills. Doing this now will make it easier for your child to learn to read when he or she starts school.
The five best ways to help your child get ready to read are:
Talking...Singing...Reading...Writing...Playing
... and they are easy to make part of your everyday routine. You don't need to push your child, just have fun with these activities so your child wants to do them again and again!
Talking:
Talk with your child, so he or she hears a variety of words. "The giant wasn't just big. He was enormous!"
Singing:
- Songs often include words that are new to a child.
- Songs help children develop listening skills and pay attention to the rhythms and rhymes of spoken language.
- Most songs have a different note for each syllable. This helps children break down words so they hear individual sounds in a word. This is an important pre-reading skill.
- Singing also slows down language so children can hear different parts of words and notice how they are alike and different.
- Clapping along to rhythms helps children hear the syllables in words, and it helps them practice motor skills.
- Singing helps children remember things for a longer time.
Reading:
What do you think is the single most important activity that you can do to help your child get ready to read? Phonics drills? Memorizing letters? No matter what your child’s age, reading together with your child—or shared reading—is actually the most important thing you can do.
Shared reading is valuable because your child has your full attention, and you are enjoying the experience together.
Shared reading develops a love of reading and an appreciation of books. Children who enjoy being read to are more likely to want to learn to read themselves.
Did you know that a child’s interest in reading is a good way to predict how well they will do later in reading?
Writing:
Try to write your name with your non-dominant hand. How does it feel? Imagine you were a child, trying to write for the first time. Children need time and lots of practice to develop the physical ability to write.
Reading and writing go together. Children notice that printed letters stand for spoken words as they see print all around them. Make sure your child sees you reading the newspaper. Point out letters on stop signs when driving, and cereal boxes while shopping. Spell out what you are writing when you make a list or make notes on your calendar.
Children start to write by scribbling- they have associated marks on paper with words in a book, and want to "write". One of the first words children write is their name. As children learn letter names and improve their motor skills, they begin to form the letters of their names. As children scribble and draw, they practice eye-hand coordination and exercise the muscles in their fingers and hands. This helps develop the fine motor control they need to write letters and words.
Playing:
Play is one of the best ways for children to learn language.
Play helps children think symbolically: a box becomes a house, a blanket becomes a magic cape, a mud puddle becomes an ocean to sail across.
Through play, children realize that one thing can stand for another. This also helps children understand that written words stand for real objects and experiences.
rds. There are also book-related puzzles and games to play. Stories are available in English, Spanish, and French. (Flash Plug-In required.)