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Let's Give Young Children a Love of Reading!
How Do Children Become Readers?
Every step a child takes toward learning to read leads to another. Bit by bit, he builds up what he knows. Over the first 6 years, most children:
- hear sounds, see movements, and make connections between what they see and hear;
- talk and listen;
- pretend to read;
- identify things in books;
- write with scribbles and drawing;
- identify letters and say them;
- connect single letters with the sounds they make;
- predict what comes next in poems and stories;
- connect combinations of letters with sounds;
- recognize simple words;
- sum up what a story is about;
- write individual letters of the alphabet;
- write words;
- write simple sentences; and
- read simple books.
Sometimes more than one of these steps happen at the same time. In fact, when your child gets to the more advanced steps, he may still be doing many of the
earlier ones. They will just come more naturally. This list of steps, though, gives you a general idea of how your child will progress. Each step along the way
supports the more difficult steps that come next.
Talking and Listening
Scientists who study the human brain have found out a great deal about how we learn. They've discovered that babies learn much more from the sights and
sounds around them than we ever thought possible. You can help your baby by taking advantage of her instant hunger to learn.
From the very beginning, babies try to imitate sounds. They read the looks on our faces and the movements of our hands. That's why it is so important to talk,
smile, and gesture to them. Hearing you talk is their very first step toward becoming readers, because it helps them love language and learn words. At this
point, the best thing you can do is talk and sing to your baby.
As she grows older, continue talking with your child. Ask her about the things she does. Ask her about the events and people in the stories you read together.
Let her know you are listening carefully. Getting your child to use words gives her practice. You are also encouraging her to think as she speaks. And you are
showing that you respect her knowledge and her ability to keep learning.
Reading Together
Imagine sitting your baby in your lap and reading a book to him for the first time. How different from just talking. Now you're showing
him pictures! You point to them. You explain what they are in a lively way. You've just taken the next step beyond talking. You've shown
him that words and pictures connect. And you've started him on his way to enjoying books.
While your child is still a baby, reading aloud to him should become part of your daily routine. Pick a quiet time. Before you put him to
bed is a good time; it gives him a chance to rest between play and sleep. If you can, read with him in your lap or snuggled next to you so
he feels close and safe. As he gets older, he may need to move around some while you read to him. If he gets tired or restless, stop.
Make reading aloud a quiet and comfortable time that your child looks forward to. Chances are he will like reading more because of it.
Try to spend at least 30 minutes each day reading to and with your child. At first, read for no more than a few minutes at a time, several times a day. As he
grows older, you should be able to tell if he can read for longer periods. But don't be discouraged if you skip a day or don't always keep to your schedule. Just
get back to your daily routine as soon as you can. Most of all, make sure reading stays fun for both of you!
What Does it Mean?
From the earliest days, talk with your child about what you are reading. You might point to pictures and name what is in them. When he is ready, ask him to do
the same. See if he can find the little mouse in the picture, or whatever is fun and right for the book. Later, when you read stories, read slowly and stop now
and then to think aloud about what you've read. From the time your child is able to talk, ask him "What do you think will happen next?" or "Do you know what
a palace is?" Answer his questions and, if you think he doesn't understand something, stop and ask. Don't worry if you break into the flow of a story to make
something clear.
Nothing is more important in helping children become readers than reading books aloud with them.
Learning About Print
Reading aloud together is a perfect time to help a late toddler or early preschooler learn what print is. Now and then, stop and point to letters and words as
you read them; then point to the pictures they stand for. Your child will begin to understand that the letters form words and words name the picture. You are
also letting him know that each letter has its own sound. This is one of the most important things your child can know when learning to read.
By the time children are 4, most have begun to understand that printed words have meaning. By age 5, most will begin to know that not just the story, but the
printed words themselves go from left to right. (Follow the words with your finger to help get this message across.) Many will even be identifying some capital
and small letters and simple words.
In late kindergarten or early first grade, your child may begin to read from print himself. He may want to do it instead of you. Let him! But be sure hewants to
do it. It should be something he is proud and eager to do, not a lesson.
Look for Books!
What books you pick to read are also important. Ask a librarian to help you find books that are right for your child's age. As your child grows older, the
librarian can continue to help find exciting books for both of you.
Introduce your baby to cardboard or cloth books with big, simple pictures of things she sees every day. Your child might want to chew or throw the book at
first. But after a while, she will become more interested as you point to pictures and talk about them. When the baby becomes a toddler, she will enjoy helping
choose books to read.
As she grows into a preschooler and kindergartner, the two of you can look for books with longer stories and more words on the pages. Also look for
books with repeating words and sentences that she can begin to read or recognize when she sees them on the page.By early first grade, add to the mix
some books designed for beginning readers, including some with chapters.
Keep in mind that during these years children most often enjoy books with people, places, and things that are like those they know. The books could be about
where you live or about parts of your culture, like your religion, your holidays, or the way you dress. If your child is interested in special things, like dinosaurs
or ballerinas, look for books about them.
Also, from the toddler years through early first grade, look for books with poems and other rhymes. Remember when your baby heard your talking sounds and
tried to imitate them? Rhymes are a later step. Rhymes, along with repeated words and phrases, teach your child about sounds and words. They also spark
excitement about what comes next, which adds fun and adventure to reading.
Show Your Child You Read
When you take your child to the library, check out a book for you. Then set a good example by reading yourself. Ask your child to get one of his books and
join you while you read a book, magazine, or newspaper. Don't worry if you feel uncomfortable with your own reading ability. Just doing it counts. When your
child sees that reading is important to you, he may decide it is important to him, too.
How Does a Book Work?
Children are fascinated by how a book looks and feels. They see how easily you work with it, and they want to make it work,
too. When your toddler watches you handle books, she begins to learn that a book is for reading, not tearing or tossing around.
Before she is 3, she may even pick one up and pretend to read, an important sign that she is beginning to know what a book is
for. As your child becomes a preschooler, she is learning that:
- a book has a front cover,
- a book has a beginning and an end,
- a book has pages,
- a page has a top and a bottom,
- you turn pages one at a time to follow the story, and
- you read a story from left to right.
As you read with your 4 or 5 year old, begin to remind her about these things. Read the title on the cover. Talk about the picture there. Point out where the
story starts, and later where it ends. Let your child help turn the page. When you start a new page, point to where the words of the story continue and keep
following them with your finger. These things take time to learn. But when your child learns them, she has solved some of reading's mysteries.
Early Efforts To Write
Writing is another important part of language. When he is about 2 years old, give your child crayons and paper to draw and scribble on. He will have fun
choosing which colors to use and shapes to make. He will also be learning muscle control. When he is a late toddler or early preschooler, he will grow as eager
to write as he is to read. The two skills go hand in hand. As he is learning one, he learns the other. You can do certain things to make sure he gets every
opportunity to practice both.
Your young preschool child's scribbles or drawings are his first writing. He will soon begin writing the alphabet letters. Writing them helps your child learn
about their different sounds. In fact, his very early learning about letters and sounds gives him ideas about how to begin spelling words. When he begins writing
them down, don't worry that they are not spelled correctly. Instead, praise him! Because if you look closely, you'll see that he's made a pretty good try at
spelling a word for the first time. With help from teachers (and you) later on, he will learn the right way to spell. Right now, he has taken a great step toward
being a writer!
Reading in Another Language
If your child's first language is not English, she can still become an excellent English reader and writer. She is a step ahead if
she is beginning to learn many words and is interested in learning to read in her first language. You can help by supporting her
in her first language as she learns English. Talk with her, read with her, encourage her to draw and write. In other words, do
the same kinds of activities mentioned before, but do them in your child's first language.
When your child first enters school, you may want to talk with her teacher. Schools welcome such talks. Teachers even have
sign-up times early in the year, though you may usually ask for a meeting at any time. If it will help, ask a relative, neighbor, or
someone else in your community to go with you.
When you go, tell the teacher the things you are doing at home to strengthen your child's speaking and reading in her own
language. Let the teacher know how important this is to you and ask for help. Children who can switch back and forth
between languages have accomplished something special. We should praise and support them as they work for this
achievement.
Continue reading this article for more helpful information on "Let's Give Young Children a Love of Reading!":
Family Literacy Makes a Difference: Source: The American Library Association
National studies have confirmed:
- There is a direct correlation between the number and variety of reading materials available in a child's home and standardized test scores (Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J.).
- Fifty percent of a child's intellectual development occurs between birth and age four; ("A Parent's Guide to Children's Reading," Nancy Larrick, 1993).
- Children who are exposed to reading and other cultural experiences before entering school have a better chance at formal learning success. (Becoming a Nation of Readers, Commission on Reading, 1984).
Parents are a child's first teachers. Through family literacy programs, the home becomes an environment where young minds can grow to their fullest potential, and where parents can play active roles in their children's intellectual development.
Visit the following Internet sites for more information on encouraging children to read:
Here are some great books to get children reading! Use Amazon.com's secure server to order:
 "Learn-To-Read Treasure Hunts: 50 Skill-Building Games for Beginning Readers and Their Parents": Ages 4-8. Steve Cohen. Buy it now through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
"I Am Not Going to Read Any Words Today!: Learning about Rhyming Words": Ages 4-8. A Dr. Seuss Book. Buy it now through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
"Sing Alongs: Helping Children Learn to Read": Marcia M. Ardis. Buy it now through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
"Arco 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read (50 Simple Things Series)": Kathy A. Zahler. Buy it now through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
"Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parents' Guide": Lucy McCormick Calkins, Lydia Bellino. Buy it now through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
Copyright © U.S. Department of Education. The information on this website is provided as a courtesy to My ParenTime's Family Community visitors, and is for educational purposes only. Reprinted with permission.
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