According to recent studies, 38% of 4th graders read below basic grade level. That’s the basic grade level! Only a very small percentage of students can read significantly above grade level. Studies have also shown that reading ability has a direct relationship with overall academic performance. Other studies have found that a high level of letter knowledge in kindergarten produces better literacy skills in older children. Based on the evidence above, many parents start an early reading program with their children. You can too!
Even if you decide not to be your toddler’s reading teacher, there are some things you can do to build a good foundation.
1. Have frequent conversations with your toddler. Ask them about their favorite toy, food, or clothing. Ask them about their friends. Discuss anything and everything. These sessions provide the opportunity to introduce new words and concepts. And, the result will be an increase in vocabulary, comprehension, and communication skills.
2. Your own reading habits can have a significant influence on your child’s desire to read. Maybe you read newspapers and magazines to stay informed or just read for pleasure. Your toddler is sure to notice and can even open a book and pretend to read.
3. Read to your children. You probably read a bedtime story. That’s great, but read to them more often and for longer periods if you can. This is an important first step because you want to create an interest in reading.
4. Keep it interesting by using age-appropriate nursery rhymes and storybooks. We also use some personalized storybooks because kids love being the “star” of the story.
5. Ask questions. For example, you might ask “What did Jack and Jill do?” or “Why did Jack and Jill run up the hill?” This interaction generates interest and increases understanding.
6. Position the book so both of you can see the pages. Run your finger along the lines as you read them. This helps to implant the idea that the text is read from left to right and from top to bottom. It seems obvious, but kids don’t know until they’re taught.
Our focus, up to this point, has been to develop an interest in stories and reading. Now is the time to start the teaching process and two different approaches have been used over the years; The Phonics Method and the Whole Language Method The phonics method is based on the sounds of letters and syllables, while the whole language method is based on memorizing the form of the whole word. I create and use a combination of the two methods. Phonics gives children the tools to “unscramble” any word by “pronouncing” it. It is not limited by the number of words the child has memorized. But there are words like “the”, “and”, “if”, “in”, “it”, etc. which are “high-frequency words” and can and should be memorized.
Start your reading program with the alphabet.
1. Sing the alphabet song with them. Use letter blocks or letters printed on 3X5 cards and point to each one as you sing the song. Even if you think you can’t sing, give it a try. The cadence of the song helps children remember the names of the letters.
2. Without singing, trace the shape of each letter and say “This is the letter A and the sound it makes is ah.” Repetition is the key here. Keep it light and fun by working in 3-5 minute sessions.
3. Note that we are going beyond just learning letter shapes and names. We are also working on the sounds that correspond to each letter. The goal here is to teach your child to identify each letter and the sound it makes.
4. Look at a couple of your child’s favorite storybooks and choose a few letter pairs. For example, you can find “ca” and “at”. Print them out on 3X5 cards and work with your child on the sound of them.
5. You can take this as far as you want. Find more words and divide them into syllables. So practice, practice, practice.