Is Your Child Ready to Read?
by Lauren Goldblatt
Do you ever wonder if your child is ready to learn how to read?
Some kids start as early as age 3, but others aren't ready until after they turn 6 years old.
It can be a mystery, but here are some things you can look for to help determine whether your child is ready:
1) Can your child recognize letters in the alphabet?
Recognizing and knowing upper and lowercase letters is a sign that your child is closer to learning how to read.
teacher tip :
Learning lowercase letters usually follows having mastered uppercase letters, but it is important as lowercase letters make up most of the words your child will see in books.
letter sounds
2) Does your child know their letter sounds?
Next, your child will need to be able to identify most of their letter sounds. Your child doesn't need to know all letter sounds, but most to be able to begin reading.
interested in reading?
3) Does your child show an interest in reading?
Does she keep asking for another book?
Does she take books and pretend like she is reading? Or take a book that you've read to her over and over and retell the story?
These are some early signs that you can start working with your child on reading basic CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant -- words like cat, hat, bat).
If your child isn't showing signs of being ready yet, that's ok.
In the meantime, you can start working with your child on mastering letter sounds and keep reading to her daily.
Most important, is not to push a young child who is not ready, as this will frustrate your child and can turn her off from wanting to learn to read.
Just practice things on your child's level and soon she'll be ready!
Here's a 2-minute video for your child to practice learning her letter sounds!
Don't forget to check out the rest of KickstartReading.com