Laying the Foundation for Learning to Read Early

Helping your child learn to read can start pretty early in life. A good way to help your children on the path to reading is by reading with them when they are small, even infants. They may not be able to completely comprehend what they are “reading” with you, but getting into the habit will be foundational for later growth.

Be sure to be interactive as you read together. You can do this by pointing out what characters are doing or commenting on characteristics of the pictures (“That tree has big red apples!” or “Is the fox going to run away?”) Interactive reading like this can help your child see reading time as fun time which can make learning to read easier when they are older.

Another important thing to remember is the value of repetition. While you may get tired of reading “Hop on Pop” long before your child does, the repetition can help your child grasp words and phrases. Seeing familiar words over and over will help your child become well acquainted with the different letters.

It will also help them gain confidence to repeat the words themselves. Building a pattern of reading while they are small will help them feel familiar with it when they are able to start reading on their own.