Teaching Children to Read & Write

Reading with your children encourages them to want to read themselves.

Teaching your children how to read and write is an important stage in life. A child's brain is in a rapid development stage and so it is best to teach her to read and write when she is young. It is important to know that children are already learning to read as they are communicated with. The more you can expose a child to language and vocabulary, the easier it will be for your child to pick up on the creativity and fun of reading and writing.

Exposing Your Child to Language

Children learn to read first by listening to and understanding words. Once they understand what a word means, they can easily associate the sound and meaning of the word with the letter symbols of print. Expose your child to language by talking to him from an early age. Ask him what he did during the day, and include him in conversations with family and friends. Show him the weather outside and tell him if it is sunny, rainy or cloudy. The larger his vocabulary becomes, the easier it will be for him to understand simple sentences.

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud to your child does three different things: it further exposes your child to language and vocabulary, it gives the child the idea that each word has a written symbol and it encourages her to want to read. She will hear stories and see illustrated pictures which give her a clue to what the story is about. This way, she can hear words she understands but fill in the blanks visually. She will be curious about the process of reading and if you point your finger to each word you read aloud, she will be able to follow along and associate the symbol with the sounds. Have her repeat words that you have read, and eventually take turns reading words or sentences. Read to your child every day, allowing her to follow along and help you, and she will catch on quickly.

Tracing Letters

Once your child has caught on to the basics of reading, it is time to teach them how to draw the letters. An easy way to do this is to print out or buy writing workbooks for him. Some writing workbooks are set up with tracing paper so the child can practice drawing each letter. Have him trace a letter. When he has completed it, make sure to praise him. He will want to impress you, so he will be ready to trace another letter. Have him practice a couple of letters a day. When he has completed the alphabet, give him a workbook with simple three to four letter words to trace. Continue to re-enforce his desire to write and he will get through both workbooks and be able to write simple sentences.

Notebook Journal

When your child has gotten used to writing simple words, invest in a notebook journal for her. Encourage her to write and draw whatever she pleases in it. Each week, ask her if she's written any stories for you. She will be more than happy to show you a story. Have her read the story out loud to you. This will re-enforce both her reading and writing skills, and the positive attention you give to her writing will encourage her to continue to write and draw imaginatively.

References

• "Teaching Children To Read"; Teaching Reading: Part One; by Tom & Shelley Cooper; 2007
• "Little Ones Reading Resource"; The First Step in Teaching Children to Read is to Encourage Reading; Amy Bouma; 2010
• "Teach Kids How"; Teach Your Child to Write; 2011
• "Math and Reading Help"; Teaching Children to Write; 2011