It helps your child succeed in school, helps them build self-confidence, and helps to motivate your child.
Being able to read will help your child learn more about the world, understand directions on signs and posters, allow them to find reading as an entertainment, and help them gather information.
Learning to read is very different from learning to speak, and it does not happen all at once.
There is a steady progression in the development of reading ability over time.
The best time for children to start learning to read is at a very young age – even before they enter pre-school.
Once a child is able to speak, they can begin developing basic reading skills.
Very young children have a natural curiosity to learn about everything, and they are naturally intrigued by the printed text they see and are eager to learn about the sounds made by those letters.
You will likely notice that your young child likes to look at books and thoroughly enjoys being read to.
The best approach is to make it very creative, interactive, and fun as can be.
They will even pretend to behave like a reader by holding books and pretend to read them.
Another way to have a phenomenal reading experience is with a gaming sofa/chair lounger like this that converts to an adjustable sleeper bed and couch recliner.
It adjusts to several angles and it could suit your different sitting requirements.
As parents, you’re the most important first step in your children’s journey into the wonderful world of reading.
It is up to you to create the most supportive environment that turns your child on to reading – such as reading aloud to them often during the day and before bedtime, and placing age-appropriate books for children around the house so that the child will have access to plenty of books.
Reading often to your child will help develop their interest in books and stories, and soon they will want to read stories on their own.
Make reading into a family activity, and spend time playing word games and reading storybooks.
This will not only help your child learn to read, but it’ll also help them build a rich vocabulary, teach them language patterns, and help them fall in love with books and reading.
Below are some tips to help you teach your child to read.
Talk to Your Child
Before a child can learn to read, he or she must first learn to speak.
Talk to your child about everything and anything – whatever interests them.
Tell them stories, ask your child lots of questions, play rhyming games, and sing songs with them.
Read to Your Child Consistently Everyday
We’re all creatures of habit, and enjoy having a daily routine.
Make this their “cool down” period before they go to sleep.
This not only helps your child develop an interest in books and reading, but it also helps the parent bond with the child, and develop a healthy relationship.
Help Your Child Develop Reading Comprehension
Typically, parents will take the time to read to their children; however, many parents do not put much emphasis or thought about whether their children understand what they’ve just been read to.
Instead, occasionally, make an effort to question your child about what you’ve just read.
For example, you read to your child:
“Jack and Jill went up the hill…”
You pause briefly and ask your child:
“So where did Jack and Jill go?” Or alternatively, “Who went up the hill?”
Young children may not catch on right away initially, and it may take a little practice, but they’ll eventually catch on and begin to develop a deeper understanding of what they are reading.
This is a very important step in helping your child develop reading comprehension.
Of course, don’t do this every single time you read, or your child will quickly get bored and lose interest.
Do it at random times, and do not overdo it.
Help Your Child to Read With a Wide Variety of Books And Keep Reading Fun
There is no shortage of children’s books, and you should always have a wide variety of children’s books, stories, and rhymes available.
Reading is a lot of fun, for both parents and children.
Read to your child using drama and excitement, and use different voices.
Give your child the option of choosing what book they want you to read, instead of picking the book you want to read to your child.
When reading to your child, read slowly, and point to the words that you are reading to help the child make a connection between the word you are saying and the word you are reading.
Always remember that reading should be a fun and enjoyable activity for your children, and it should never feel like a “chore” for them.
Did you know that 38% of grade four students have reading abilities below the lowest basic level as determined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)?
This reading program has been used worldwide to teach children how to read before they are 3 years old.
The NAEP is the only ongoing survey of what students have known.
The NAEP also tracks their performance in various academic subjects for the United States.
In their report, the NAEP found that 38% of grade four students had reading achievement below basic levels, with a basic level reading score being 208.
To put things in perspective, the US reading scale has an upper limit score of 500.
With average reading scores for grade 4 (217), grade 8 (264), and grade 12 (291).
The grade 4 reading achievement levels are categorized by the NAEP as Advanced (268 score), Proficient (238 score), and Basic (208 score), and the basic reading achievement level is defined as follows by the NAEP:
“Fourth-grade students performing at the Basic level should demonstrate an understanding of the overall meaning of what they read. When reading text appropriate for fourth graders, they should be able to make relatively obvious connections between the text and their own experiences and extend the ideas in the text by making simple inferences.”[1]
Unfortunately, over a third of all grade four students read at levels even below basic.
Is your child having reading difficulties?
Research on Phonemic Awareness have found that early reading helps improve a child’s reading and spelling abilities.
In fact, the National Reading Panel has concluded based on their massive review of over 1,900 studies that teaching phonics and phonemic awareness produces better reading results than whole language programs.
There are numerous documented benefits and advantages of teaching children to read early on.
Greater benefits are seen when teaching them to read using phonics and phonemic awareness instructions.
It is clear that early language and reading ability development passes great benefits to the child as they progress through school at all grades.
On the contrary, early language and reading problems can lead to learning problems later on in school.
For example, a Swedish study found that children with a history of reading problems at school entry scores significantly below average on reading in grade 4.
As well, children that show very low interest in books and story reading before age 5 also scored similarly low on sentence reading in grade 4. [2]
This is just one of many studies that have similar findings, and this makes it imperative for parents to begin exposing their children to books and reading at an early age.
So how early?
Good question!
There’s no set guideline on when you should start teaching your children to read;
however, you can start cultivating your child’s love for books and reading as soon as they’re born.
Obviously, very young babies would not even know what books are.
However, talking to your child and reading to your child will help them develop a keen liking for books and stories.
As your child grows and gets older, avoid TV-sitting them.
The reason is because as they develop a dependency on television as their main source of entertainment,
it becomes very difficult to dislodge that need for TV entertainment and get them to enjoy reading books.
Instead, keep age-appropriate books all around the house, and read to them often.
People typically think that kindergarten or grade one would be an appropriate time for their children to start reading; however, this is not the best approach.
Studies have repeatedly found that children with good phonemic awareness before entering kindergarten continues to outperform, and achieve exceptional reading and spelling abilities as they progress through school.
On the other hand, children who enter school with reading difficulties may continue reading and spelling difficulties.
Kids can make wonders; many surveys and stats prove that the age from 5-15 is the best time for anyone in their entire lifetime to store as much data into their brain as possible. But the very idea of introducing them to such complex topics like AI and ML can be extremely terrifying. But worry not, we are here to help you take your kids into the world of Artificial Intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence is definitely not as easy as teaching rhymes but we can make it fun. “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and hence, make sure you don’t dig deep into the topics like robots or automation. Start from the least bottom level, the scratch, start by taking an example of a toy car. Start by explaining how elements like the steering, gearbox, and clutch work in the car with certain mechanisms and now, introduce the car they see every day as a ‘machine’.
Stay blessed as you pilot your gifts of grace. May The Lord grant you peace and gentleness of spirit.
Notes: 1. NAEP 1998 Reading Report Card for the Nation and the States March 1999 Authors: Patricia L. Donahue, Kristin E. Voelkl, Jay R. Campbell, and John Mazzeo
2. J Learn Disabil. 1999 Sep-Oct;32(5):464-72.
Early language development and kindergarten phonological awareness as predictors of reading problems: from 3 to 11 years of age.
Olofsson A, Niedersøe J. Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Sweden.
Learning to read at a young age is important for the development of the child.
It helps them develop a better understanding of their surroundings, allows them to gather information from printed materials, and provides them with a wonderful source of entertainment when they read stories and rhymes.
Children develop at different rates, and some children will develop reading skills quicker than other children;
However, what’s important is that as the parent, you are keenly aware of your child’s maturity and reading level to provide them with appropriate books and activities to help them improve.
As parents, you are the most important teacher for your children.
Studies have shown that children learn best when they are taught the letter names and letter sounds at the same time.
In one study, 58 preschool children were randomly assigned to receive instructions in letter names and sounds, letter sound only, or numbers (control group).
The results of this study are consistent with past research results in that it found children receiving letter name and sound instruction were most likely to learn the sounds of letters whose names included cues to their sounds. [1]
When teaching your child the letter sounds, have them slowly trace the letter, while saying the sound of the letter at the same time.
For example, if you were teaching your child the letter “A,” you would say:
“The letter A makes the /A/ (ah) sound.”
Then have your child say the /A/ sound while tracing the letter with his or her index finger.
Teach Your Child How to Read Tip #2
When teaching your child to read, always emphasize with them that the proper reading order should be from left to right, and top to bottom.
To adults, this may seem so basic that anyone should know it.
1. J Exp Child Psychol. 2010 Apr;105(4):324-44. Epub 2010 Jan 25.
Learning letter names and sounds: effects of instruction, letter type, and phonological processing skill.
Piasta SB, Wagner RK.
Preschool Language and Literacy Lab, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
