Reading Ages 4-6

Make Sure the Child Sees the Text

 

            Today's Snack: Serve your child a bowl of cereal, and let the child read the back of the box. If needed, you can read it for your child. Go over the ingredients list, too. It's always great to pronounce words aloud that your child can see written as text, so that your child makes that sound-symbol correspondence that is so important for early reading success. Show your child how important reading can be wherever words are found!

 

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Supplies:

A good bedtime story from a library, school or bookstore

 

 

Children in preschool and kindergarten need to be read to daily. But it's a mistake to hold the book so that only you can see the words, and your child is elsewhere, staring off into space or playing with a toy on the ground, etc.

 

The child needs to be right next to you, paying attention to the story, and looking at the written text while listening to the words being decoded.

 

            Think about it: children spend so much time in text-free environments. They listen to other household members and respond, but they don't see the words that they hear and say. They watch television, and while they hear words, they don't see any  written out.

 

            They need to be associating meaning with the visual effects of words on the page.

 

They need to see how words are read from left to right.

 

They need to understand that pages of text are read from top to bottom.

 

If they don't know these things, they will be at a disadvantage for building a solid vocabulary in the years to come, and might be at higher risk for reading disabilities.

 

            So when you read aloud to your child, sit parallel with the child so that you both can see both the words and the illustrations. It doesn't matter if you sit up straight in a chair, or lay back on your child's bed. Just as long as you and your child are both looking at the pages, you're reading aloud right.

 

It's OK every once in a while to point to certain words, or follow along with your index finger as you read. But don't overdo the "lesson" part of the read-aloud process. The whole idea is to patiently and casually model what reading is all about. Reading is supposed to be fun, not work. It's amazing how much good "play" can do, when you "play" smart.

 

            Help your child become familiar with how words look and work . . . and it will be fun for both of you as your child goes on to be a great reader.