Improve
Reading Skill
If you have read any of my articles
before now then you know the importance that I put on
developing your child's reading skill early and often.
Reading is the foundation for which all other learning takes
place. If a child can read and comprehend, then the child
can learn. In this article I am going to cover a few basics
to improve reading skill in the child.
Let's back
up one step before we discuss improving reading skills.
Before kids even begin the journey of learning to read, as a
parent you should begin to develop listening and speaking
skills in your child right from the beginning. Kids need
strong listening and speaking skills as a footing for
reading and writing.
Always engage your children in
conversation at the earliest of ages. Work with them in
expressing their thoughts and ever increasing their
vocabulary. Encourage your kids to always ask questions.
Help them to gradually build more complex sentences with
stronger vocabulary. This gives them practice understanding
the spoken and written language which increases their
comprehension skills.
Good reading skill is a combination of
skills that the child must learn to master. These begin with
understanding letters, then words, then books themselves.
When teaching your child to read, the child learns that
letters and words form sentences, and sentences carry a
meaning.
Certainly an inseparable component of learning to
read is learning to write. Certainly teaching your child to
read must contain teaching your child to write as well. One
will not progress without the other. In order for the child
to read effectively they must understand the placement of
and the recognition of letters, and how the text should
look.
Your efforts to teach your child to write will
dovetail nicely into improving reading skill as well. And
last, but not least, is constantly working with your child
to insure that they develop good language skills to solidify
their reading and writing.
In summary, good reading skills
are
really a recipe of developing listening and speaking skills.
Mix in a good bit of writing and grammar practice. While all
the while continuing practice and ensure your child develops
a good vocabulary and a solid understanding of the language.
Kids have trouble developing good reading skills when they
don't simply get enough experience or practice doing so.
Engage your children in conversation. Help them build and
stretch their vocabulary. Encourage them to discover the
printed word in books, magazines, poetry, and songs. Have
them write about what they discover and help them structure
sentences. Make sure that reading is an everyday activity
for them and they will reap the benefits of learning's
greatest foundation.
|
