Reading is not usually the activity of choice for most children and as a parent, you probably wish your kids would do more of it. It’s definitely possible to help your kids fall in love with reading and the journey actually begins when they are babies.
Infants take in everything they see and hear, so reading aloud to them using a fun tone with a rising and falling pitch is an important key. As they grow, there are certain things you can do to encourage that love of reading in your kids. As a trusted Sherwood Park daycare provider, we understand the impact reading can have.
Children Aged Three to Five Years
This age is important for building a vocabulary and developing a personality. Reading can play a major role in that development and here are some things you can do to help.
Point Out the Print
Your child will naturally gravitate to the colorful pictures. But you can physically point out the words and letters on the page to achieve the focus you want to see.
Start with the Cover
The reading begins on the front cover of the book. Note the title of the book and the author’s name. This will allow your child to understand where books come from.
Explain the Sentence Structure
Reading isn’t just verbalizing the words, it’s decoding the message, acknowledging the punctuation, and noticing the spaces between the words too.
Have Your Child Interact by Showing What They Know
Ask your child to show you the elements of the book you have displayed to them by asking where the title is, where a period is, or ask them to find the first letter of their name.
Four to Six Years of Age
As your child begins learning how to read, this is a great age to incorporate nonfictional titles. Your child may actually prefer something more tangible and less figurative. Try these tips to help bring that nonfiction a little life.
Answer Question Using Books
It’s common to hear the word “why” from children, so use that to open a book with them to find the answers. Not only will this open their minds to reading but it will also give them a head start on how research is done.
Excite Your Child with Books About Upcoming Activities
When your child is looking forward to an outing or special events like a trip or a new grade level at school, you can open up a book that’s based on that activity. Turn snow-days into books all about snow.
Tie Fiction with Nonfiction
When reading a fun fictional story, you can follow it up with a nonfictional book about the content you just read. A book about the three bears can lead to learning about how bears actually behave.
As your child gets older, you can add some reflection on what you’re reading with them. This can open them up to self-reflection and analysis later on. In the end, if you love reading with your kids, they’ll probably love reading too.
