The following are a few great tips to help your child learn to love and learn from reading.
- Create Reading Rituals. Share books together every day, beginning in babyhood. Set aside a special place where you can enjoy stories without interruption to show how much you value the reading time you share.
- Cuddle Closely. Being close as you read will help to foster a sense of security and well-being. When children feel safe, their learning is increased. Your child will associate reading with the warm, loving feeling of being near you.
- Provide sound effects. Together, sing, clap or stomp along to the story. Besides being lots of fun, this stimulates auditory perception and helps develop critical listening skills.
- Play the “show-me” game. Ask your toddler to find favorite characters or pictures. As your child hunts for objects, she will learn to identify symbols, a foundational skill for learning letters later on.
- Play with letters. Preschoolers are beginning to learn that letters have meaning. Trace letters and sentences with your child so he begins to develop awareness of print. Concentrate on letters’ shapes and sounds (the letter “O” makes a circle…)
- Keep reading aloud. Even after your child learns to read, she will continue to learn new skills and build vocabulary by listening to you.
These tips are adapted from the National Center for Family Literacy’s Reading Through the Years.
