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Make Every Month "I Love to Read"
February may be over but reading should be a daily routine in every child's life.
Although reading is a skill taught in school, the pre-reading skill children learn at home are integral and valuable parts of the process. All children will learn to read at their own rate. Some are natural readers and begin to understand the printed word even before school entry. Others may the intervention of a reading specialist to help them understand how to decode the printed word.
There are many valuable things that parents can do support the reading process at home. The first, and probably the most important thing, is to make your home a reading rich environment. Read to your children and read often, remembering that when you do read to them to slow down your rate to about one half of your regular speaking rate. Reading exposes children, not only to the printed word, but also to a wealth of vocabulary. The average child comes into Kindergarten with a vocabulary of approximately 4,000 words. Children who are underdeveloped in their vocabulary are missing the underlying building block for reading. All academics are built on the foundation of good language skills. Without language, other areas of learning are at risk for failure.
Set some time aside each day when you can read to your child without interruptions. Children always seem to have a story they want to read over and over. Research indicates this is one of the ways they learn language patterns by becoming so familiar with a book they can "quote" the lines. But do introduce new stories as well. When selecting books for younger children, look ones with large print and limited words on each page. Books with lift flaps, or touch and feel objects, will encourage them to be an active participant in the story.
As you read, ask your child questions or encourage them to make up a new ending. When you ask questions, try to make them "opinion" questions rather than fact based. This can be done by inserting the word "think" into the question. For example, "Why do you think the Franklin feels bad?" By using this format there is no wrong or right answer making the questions less intimidating to young children.
To encourage your child to pay more attention to the printed words, select one word that is frequently used in a story and print it on a card. Ask your child to watch for the word as you read.
Make your house a print rich environment. Children learn by example, so if Mom and Dad show them they enjoy reading it is sure to rub off! Make books part of special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas by giving a book as part of their present. Encourage older children to read the newspaper or magazines. A subscription to a children's magazine can also be an inexpensive way to expand their reading horizons.
Point out the print in your child's environment and use it to help them understand the printed word and remember to make it fun! Some suggestions are - have your child help to make a grocery list by cutting out the labels and pasting them to a piece of paper. They can then match this "grocery list" to the objects in the grocery store. Keep a set of plastic letters on the fridge. If your child asks how to spell something, the letters will be readily available for them to manipulate. Play a game by labelling common objects in the house and giving your child cards with the words to match. Keep a family calendar and write special occasions on it. Reviewing this with your child calls attention to the printed words and helps them with the concept of time.
Start a picture diary of special family events where the child dictates to you what they liked or remembered. Not only does this raise your child's print awareness, but it also serves as a wonderful keepsake of the event as seen through your child's eyes.
Monica Gustafson is a Speech/Language Pathologist and the Author of 23 programming books for speech and language. After 34 years in the school system, she is now in full time private practice. Speech/Language therapy sessions for Preschool and School-aged children are available weekdays and evenings. For information on private sessions, phone: 896-3964 or email Monica.
Related Articles:
Ready for Kindergarten, Here I Come - or Not
Make Every Month "I Love to Read"
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