Studies show that children who have been exposed to reading early on have an advantage over children who have not. Reading to your little one helps them develop language skills and sets them up for reading independently as they grow older.
Children that have difficulty in school may not have been exposed to reading when they were young. They may face challenges that could have been avoided had they been exposed to reading during their formative toddler years.
Before children can read by themselves, they need basic literacy skills which include:
- having a large vocabulary of words and knowing how to use them
- understanding that words are made up of smaller sounds (called phonemic awareness)
- understanding that marks on a page represent letters and words
- knowing the letters of the alphabet
Your child doesn't need special games, flashcards, or computer programs to gain these skills. Read to your child as often as possible to help them learn to read independently. Access your local library for age appropriate books and consider taking them to story time to interact with their peers.
Be a smart parent and raise a smart kid!
