Parent Strategies
Getting Ready to Read
Tips on reading help for
preschool
and early-elementary-school children
By Dr. Margie Gillis
Director, Early Reading Success Program, Haskins Laboratories
Read rhyming books with your child.
Make up nonsense rhymes, or play the game that starts with
“I see something that rhymes with hat.”
-
Clap the syllables in a word, so kids
can hear how many syllables it contains. Words like bi-cy-cle and
el-e-phant engage a child’s attention.
-
Try alliteration with 3- or
4-year-olds, such as “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers” – calling their attention to the /p/ sound
at the beginning of the word (whether to identify the letter as
/p/ depends on the child’s readiness).
-
Ask your child to retell a story you
have read to develop oral language comprehension; or use a puppet
to demonstrate. If your child has difficulty with words out of
context or multiple meanings (i.e. confuses a
“letter” of the alphabet with a “letter”
that’s mailed), explain the difference.
-
Demonstrate abstract words such as
prepositions: “Let’s put Danny’s shoe
under the table, next to the table, then on
the table.”
-
Build your child’s background
knowledge: To understand a story about the zoo, it helps to have
been there, or to have seen a zoo on TV.
-
Children that learn to talk late are
at a disadvantage. Give them the chance to express themselves;
talking with a puppet may help.
-
Learning to read requires knowledge
of vocabulary and verbal reasoning abilities. Ask your child to
explain things such as why it gets cold at night.
Find more tips on helping kids
learn to read in the Smart Kids with LD New Member Information
Kit, free when you Join Smart Kids!
|
