If you have or spend time with a child age 3-6, or maybe older, but who is not
quite reading yet, there are many simple things you can do to improve their
reading skills (yes, even with a 3 year-old). The suggestions given are
activities that don’t require you to purchase special learning books or
equipment, but only make use of things you probably have around your house right
now!
1. Talk
The first thing that a child must be able to do before they can
read is to hear the sounds that make up different words. It makes sense that
children who have a lot of experience with the spoken language will do better
with the written one. Have conversations with the little one in your life.
Describe things around the house. Ask him or her to tell you about their
favorite toy or cartoon. Make sure you speak clearly and annunciate (but
remember that children may not be able to produce all the same sounds). Don’t be
afraid to use big words, if you have to explain them, it just means more
spoken-language experience! Besides, a big vocabulary will also help with
reading. I put this strategy first for a reason: The importance of oral language
in literacy has been ignored far too long. You might think that your child hears
spoken words all the time, and I love television as much as the next American,
but it is not a substitute for back-and-forth discussion when it comes to
language development. And language development is essential to learning to read.