Introducing Reading to Kindergartners

Give your early reader a boost with three crucial steps.

Ages

4-6

157439661

Learning to read is one of the most important accomplishments your child will need to make in school. It is the key to success in all subject areas and overall academic progress. There are some simple things that you can do at home to support her learning at school:

  • First and foremost, read aloud to your child every night, without exception. Reading aloud is the perfect tool to promote the pleasure and enjoyment of reading and to offer her a good model (you) of what reading is all about.
  • Second, play language games with him to help him become aware of the sounds of language. In order to learn to read, children must be able to hear sounds in words and then begin to match those sounds to letters. By singing songs and clapping to the rhythm, by listening for words that rhyme in poems and stories, and by talking about words, you will be helping your child think consciously about language.
  • Third, encourage your child to write — even if she is just making scribbles. Writing actually helps develop reading skills. By forming letters, children learn to recognize certain words, like their names. They also learn that written language is a communication tool. You can ask your child to help you make a grocery list. You can play "restaurant" and ask your child to be the waiter who writes down your food order. Soon you will begin to see letters and even words mixed in with the scribbles.

These are the three most important ways to help your child along the road to reading in the kindergarten and early school years. Of course, your child's teacher may have other suggestions that will directly support what is happening at school. Good communication between home and school will also foster your child's reading.

Developing Reading Skills
Alphabet Recognition
Writing
Vocabulary
Literacy
Age 5
Age 4
Age 6
Early Writing
Communication and Language Development
Reading
Songs and Rhymes
Early Reading