In order to help your child(ren) succeed in
school, it is important that you understand the skills children need to read.
As a parent, you can begin to raise a young reader during the first three years
of a child’s life. If your children are over the age of 3, it is not too late
to show them the importance of reading well.
There are six basic building blocks that help
children learn to read:
·
language awareness –using
language properly and communicating well.
·
print knowledge
– understanding letters, words and how books work.
·
phonics
– identify letters and their sounds.
·
writing –
attempting to use letters and words to
communicate.
·
comprehension
– understanding the meaning of words and sentences.
·
fluency
– reading at a good, steady pace.
There are also many things that you can do as a
parent to help your child(ren) learn the skills they need in each of these areas
to be successful in life.
You can help children build language
awareness by talking to them. This
is important not only for infants and toddlers but for all children.
Understanding how language works and using language frequently helps children
predict what authors will write. This is important for young readers who will
see words they do not know.
Reading to children every day
will build their knowledge of print.
Children discover that letters and words build stories. They will listen to you
and look at the pictures. Some children will even try to “read” the story to
you by retelling what they heard you say. Children who are familiar with books
will become readers. Show them the cover of the book. Point to the top of the
page and show them where you are reading. Young readers need to be taught to
read from the left to the right. Look at the pictures and talk about what is
happening in the story. Even school-aged children need to be read to. If your
child has already learned to read, take turns reading a book. Children do not
become fluent readers until about third or forth grade.
Phonics is more than just the ABCs.
But it is the best place to start! Start singing the alphabet song
early! Children who learn their ABCs before kindergarten are well prepared to
become readers. Talk about letters that you see at the store, at home, in the
car, on signs and in books. Children as young at two can begin to identify a
few letters and their sounds. Focus on the letters in your child’s name. That
will spark an interest in letters for sure! Older children need help with the
phonics rules like blends and long vowel sounds. Blends are two letters
together like the “bl” in blend. The long vowel sounds are when a vowel “says
its name”, like the “a” in name. Sometimes blends and vowels can be confusing
for children, but if you are reading together, you can help them practice.
Help your child learn to write his/her name.
Children will begin to scribble before age two. You can use washable
crayons and notebook paper to play with, but be sure to watch carefully and
prevent your child from chewing on the materials. As you read to them and
explore the alphabet, the scribbling will begin to look like letters. You will
see more straight lines and circles as the child attempts to write. The first
thing a child enjoys writing is his/her name. It does not matter if you use
all capital letters or all small letters. What is important is that young
children are exploring letters. As young children learn to read, they will
begin to write simple sentences. Keep paper and pencils around so you can write
about important family news. Journals are a great way to practice writing.
After you do a fun activity with your child, ask them to write a sentence and
draw a picture about what they liked the best!
Comprehension and fluency go together!
Children comprehend something when they understand it and can retell it in their
own words. This is important for stories they read alone and stories they
hear. This is where vocabulary and talking to your children is important. You
can help them understand the story by predicting what will happen on the next
page and asking them questions about the story when you are finished reading.
See if they can tell the story from memory after you are done. Fluency is
important for children who are already reading. Good readers will be able to
read out loud and sound smooth like they are talking. They should not sound
choppy and take long pauses. A good reader raises and lowers his/her voice to
make the story more exciting. You can help by modeling, or showing, how this is
done when you read.
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