Reading is one of the most important skills we can foster in our little ones. For some children, reading is a challenging and sometimes discouraging venture. Fortunately, there are several ways parents can encourage and aid their children in becoming independent readers. Red Apple Reading would like to offer a few strategies you can employ to help your young child become a flourishing reader.
Read Together
One of the best and easiest ways to help your youngster become a successful reader is to read with her. In the Early Childhood News article, Helping Young Listeners Become Successful Readers: Preschoolers, Shelley Butler says, “Providing positive, enjoyable reading experiences give young children opportunities to gain the knowledge, awareness, skills, and love of learning that they need to later learn to read independently.” Parents can go a long way in developing their little one’s literacy skills by simply setting aside dedicated time each day to read with their kiddo. The act of watching and listening to another person (especially an individual who is well loved and respected) as they read aloud will hugely impact the young reader. If your child has already developed some level of reading readiness, take turns reading to each other. When your little one comes upon a word he doesn’t know, help him to sound it out. Not only will you be facilitating the reading process, you will also be creating special memories that you and your youngster will remember for years to come.
Practice Sight Words
Another beneficial task that will help your kiddo with his reading skills is practicing sight words. Sight words are words that are commonly found throughout most texts and should be recognized immediately upon sight. Many of these sight words cannot be sounded out phonetically and therefore it is advantageous for your child to memorize them. Once your child masters sight words ( also known as high frequency words) she will have a much better chance of becoming a flourishing reader. Visit Red Apple Reading’s Sight Word Savvy board on Pinterest for fun ways to practice sight words with your young reader.
Look for Hidden Opportunities
If you are a parent of a young child, chances are your little one is never very far away. Take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself to have a spontaneous reading lesson! For example, as you are driving down the road, ask your little one to read the traffic sign you are coming upon. Or if you are grocery shopping, let your kiddo hold the shopping list as you pick out items. Point to each item on the list as you place it in your cart. If you are reading the newspaper, ask your child to point out all the A’s in the headline. By taking advantage of little opportunities that present themselves throughout the day, you will help your young reader improve her literacy skills!
Finally, we would like to suggest that you check out Red Apple Reading’s web site. Your youngster will love playing the fun reading games and you will love the improvement you see in her reading skills. As parents, it is important for us to do all we can to encourage our kids to become successful readers. Remember, children master reading at varying rates. As long as you are consistently providing opportunities to help your child improve his reading skills, your little one will be reading independently before you know it! If you are worried that your kiddo is not progressing at an acceptable rate, contact your child’s teacher or other professional and get their opinion. With a little investment on your part, you can have a young reader in your family!
