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.
