What can a parent/guardian do to help their child learn to read?

5 Big Things Families Can Do:
1. Teach your child letters of the alphabet. Start with the letters of their name.
Examples:
Look! That word starts with “M,” just like your name, MMMMark.
We are having macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight. There is an “m” on the
box, just like the “m” in “Mark.” Can you find it?
Remember, an “M” goes up and down and up and down. There is also an “r” in macaroni, just like the “r” in Mark. Can you find it? It looks like this (write the letter “r” or point out the
“r” on the macaroni box).
Be patient! This is hard work for young children!
They will need for you to repeat and repeat before they learn letters well.

**Research tells us that children who know letters of the alphabet before kindergarten learn to read faster than children who do not.

2. Read and talk about books and pictures with your child. Make a comment, then wait for the child to respond.
Examples:
“Look, there’s a big elephant. Do you know that an elephant’s nose is called a trunk? Or “Look at all the cars! What color is this car?” or “Look at that huge red dog! Have you ever seen a dog that big? Do you think that he is real or pretend?”

**Research tells us that when adults talk with children about books and pictures, the children learn more vocabulary then when they do not.
**Research tells us that children whose parents/guardians read to them regularly do better in school than children whose parents do not read to them.

3. Talk with your child as much as possible.
The more you and your child talk, the better your child’s vocabulary will be. If you follow the old saying, “children should be seen and not heard,” your child will not learn the vocabulary and grammar that s/he will need to do well in school.

**Research tells us that the more words a child hears and knows before kindergarten, the easier it is for that child to learn to read.

4. Help your child learn the sounds of letters and rhymes.
Examples:
“Sam and ham. Those two words rhyme!” “Rat and bat and sat all rhyme!” Also teach beginning sounds of words: “Ssssam and ssssat—they start with the same sound, sssss.” “Bbbbread and bbbbbreakfast—they start with the same sound, bbbbb! Can you think of another word that starts with the bbbb sound?”

**Research tells us that children who can recognize rhymes learn to read easier than those who do not. Children who can recognize sounds in language that are the same can learn to connect that sound with a letter easier than children who do not recognize beginning sounds.

5. Encourage children’s attempts! Praise them for trying! Tell them at each step, “Hooray for you! You are learning how to read and write!!!!”

** Research tells us that children who are encouraged at every step learn to read faster and better than children who are not encouraged.



Early Reading First I CAN READ!
2007
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education