How to Promote Early Reading at Home

Learning how to read is an exciting time in a child's life. Being able to decode the environment around him gives him the freedom to explore new things and imagine new worlds. Though it may seem as if the ability to read comes suddenly, the desire to read and the love of books takes time to develop. As parents, there are many things we can do at home to promote those early reading skills.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• local library
• books
• reading space
• time

1. Patronize your local library even before your child is able to read. The goal is not only to have your child get familiar with the inside of books and the look of print but also to feel comfortable in an entire environment filled with books. Getting to know the children's librarians, attending story times and obtaining her own library card will help to promote your child's understanding of the world of literacy.

2. Get caught reading. In order to promote the joys of reading, your child needs to see you enjoying it too. Take the time out to read a novel or biography while your child is playing nearby. It's likely he will ask you about your book and the characters, at which time you can explain how the story engages your imagination or fills your need for knowledge.

3. Pay attention to your child's attempts to sound out words or recognition of environmental print. Sure, we all know that the sign says "McDonald's" or "Fisher Price," but your child is learning to connect common visual representations with their words. Ask her to try to read all the signs she recognizes and try to decipher which letters make it sound the way it does.

4. Read aloud to and with your children. It's not uncommon to hear young kids say "but I don't know how to read it." This may be true, encourage them to tell the story from the context of the pictures before you read the text. Then you can compare the two stories to see how similar they are.

5. Create a reading space and time for your child. If you promote reading as a privilege, not a chore, it's more likely to be something to which your child looks forward. Having a special space filled with books of his very own just makes it even more appealing.

Tips & Warnings

• Context clues are a very important part of early reading skills. Knowing how the picture connects to the story, trying to see if a word sounds like the right one inside the surrounding text--all of these are ways children show they are learning to read.

[scottb992000]

on 3/24/2008 Very good article. I have 3 year old that although doesn't quite know how to read, knows several of the stories page by page from memory.

[showpup]

on 3/21/2008 Nice article. My youngest is now 16 but he was reading (with expression and understanding) before he entered kindergarten. He's now already a senior in high school and an honor roll student. I think this is nearly entirely due to the fact that he learned to read (and enjoy reading) from a very early age.