DO:

  • Talk, talk, talk with your child! The more words your child hears each day, the stronger your child's language skills will become, which in turn will support future reading development.
  • Have fun, and make sure your child has fun, during reading and writing activities.
  • Keep activities to a few minutes. As your child's attention span grows, you can choose books or activities that are longer.
  • Believe that reading is important in school and in life.
  • Believe that, with your help, your child will become a strong reader.
  • Visit a library often.
  • Understand that it is normal if your child wants to read the same story over and over. Use this opportunity to ask a different question or talk about new words each time you read the story.
  • Remember that building reading readiness skills takes time, and children's learning rates vary. Be patient and supportive of your child's efforts and enjoy the learning process.
  • Use materials that your child can hold: small objects, pictures, puppets, alphabet letter cards, blocks, magnets, and pointers. Using some of these materials will keep our child engaged and learning through several different senses (vision, hearing, touch, and movement).
  • Spend time teaching or showing your child a new reading readiness skill, such as identifying letters, before you ask him or her to perform the task independently.
  • Watch educational TV shows or play education computer games with your child, rather than leaving your child alone for these activities.

DON'T:

  • Feel that you have to read every word on every page in a book.  Sometimes this makes the story too long and the experience frustrating. It's okay to skip a little or just talk about the pictures.

  • Worry if your preschool child reverses letters (b for d) or letter sequences (gril for girl). This is part of the normal learning process for young children and does not mean your child may have dyslexia.

  • Pressure your child to answer your questions, name letters, or accomplish other reading readiness skills. If he or she cannot do the skill independently, do it together in a fun, supportive way.

  • Insist that your child write on a time line. Preschoolers often do not have enough motor control to manage this and may become frustrated. Instead, give your child blank paper for writing activities.

  • Substitute TV shows or computer games for interactive activities with you or another caring, attentive adult. Children learn best through fun interactions with people who love and care for them.

Excerpt from "A Parent's Guide  to Reading Readiness" (ISBN 978-87659-318-9) by Nemours BrightStart!, 32 pages.  Available May 2010, $3.95.

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