Photo Credit Pixabay
Learning to read is built on a foundation of communication skills that your child starts to learn from birth.
And while most kids master this skill by age 7, the ages of 3-5 (preschooler years) are often called the stage where reading becomes crucial to development.
Being the child’s first teacher, you as a parent have the opportunity to give your kid a strong head-start in reading.
Regardless if you plan on sending them to grade school or are planning to homeschool your child, you can begin teaching them how to read with the right tools and tactics.
1. Read to your child regularly.
Photo credit Kelly Sikkema
This is actually a process that starts from infancy up to their school years. What you’re building here is constant exposure that will eventually help your child gain interest as they grow. Not only that, but this creates a special bond between parent and child.
How much you read depends with you, but as a guide you can aim anywhere from 2-4 books and read for at least 20-30 minutes a day with your preschooler.
2. Pick the best books.
Photo credit kennedyrox
At the ages of 3-5, your child would mostly enjoy alphabet books, picture books, rhyming books and song books. Look for material that combines other senses along with the reading to encourage your child to interact as you read to them.
Aside from that, books that relate to their own world (e.g. potty training, taking baths, dressing up) can connect them to their own reality and help develop their self-sufficiency. Books that show children from other nationalities, races, cultures, and colors can help expand their view of the world. Books that also show adventurous or even imaginary places or creatures can spark their imagination.
3. Make the process enjoyable
Photo credit Personal Creations
Enjoyment while reading has been attributed as one of the greatest predictors of reading success in preschoolers. And it starts with you. Be sure that when it’s time to read, you aren’t distracted with other stuff such as the laundry or dishes.
Turn the TV off, set aside your smartphones, and make the commitment to be present - right here and now with your child. Make your kid feel that you yourself are enjoying what you’re doing, treating every opportunity not just as another chore, but as a special moment. You’d be surprised how they can pick up on your energy and carry that enthusiasm in their later years.
4. Ask questions
Photo credit eyeliam
One of the best ways to get your child interested in reading is through interaction. Ask questions that are simple and easy to begin with. “Do you see the frog? What color is the frog? What is the frog’s name?”
As your child grows in comprehension, the level of difficulty can increase and you can then ask open-ended questions.
Time will come when your kid will be the one to ask questions and offer explanations. You’ll know then you’re making great progress.
5. Be a good example
Photo Credit Sam DeLong
Children learn best what they see from you. That’s why even if they’ve started a growing interest with books at a young age, that interest will fade away if they don’t see reading as part of your regular activities, even if it’s just a few minutes each day. Your child needs to see that reading is something that adults need to do.
So go pick up your favorite book or magazine, a newspaper … anything you like! If your favorite reading material is in your iPad or Kindle Reader, that’s ok as well. But switch from time-to-time to physical books because that’s what you’re primarily modeling to your child.