We’ve now been social distancing for 43 days and my four-year-old, Goose, has been making the most of her time! She’s learned how to whistle, mastered a handstand, made a collection of paper doll puppets, and become a more confident reader. While all of those accomplishments are exciting, seeing her learn to read makes my teacher heart especially proud. I’ve enjoyed reading ever since I was a child and it has always been a goal of mine to raise a reader (or two) to share my enthusiasm for books. Not only is reading fundamental to learning throughout life, but it can also just be a fun hobby!

One thing that’s important to know if you want to raise a reader is that it is a long, continuous process that develops over time. It starts with babies and toddlers understanding that a story they hear correlates with the pictures and words on a page. Later on, they begin to grasp the concept of letters and sounds. And over the course of many, many years, they grow to be fluent, advanced readers with a broader vocabulary and an ability to comprehend and respond to more intricate texts. Kids do not learn to read overnight.

You also should know that there isn’t one specific age when children are supposed to complete each reading milestone. Schools like to pressure our little ones to hit benchmarks within certain timeframes because it makes their data look better, but humans are not wired that way. There are a number of factors involved in a child’s ability to read and they ultimately will progress at their own pace. You can, however, cultivate a positive attitude toward language and books to encourage them along their path.

I think that a lot of parents feel pressure to replicate school at home for their kids. That is not necessary or realistic! If you know the alphabet, you know how to read, you have access to books, and like having fun with your kids, then you have all of the tools you need!

Here’s a closer look into how I’m raising readers in my home:

Start Early

The sooner you start reading to your child, the better! I read out loud during my pregnancies so that my babies would get used to the sound and cadence of my voice. Now that they’re four and three, they look forward to snuggling together for our daily storytimes.

If you have a toddler or preschooler and you haven’t been reading, start today! It’s never too late!

Choose Engaging Books

When selecting books for your kids, find ones with topics or illustrations that will capture their attention. Maybe that’s zoo animals, pirates, or racecars. Choosing what is interesting to them will help develop a positive attitude toward books.

Young children also like to hear stories that are simple, happy, and relatable. Find books that feature kids close to their age who have similar experiences and feelings, like becoming an older sibling or going to school.

If you want to raise a reader, it helps to have a collection of books within reach at home. You may have to wait until we’ve eased out of social distancing, but here are a few ways we’ve built our library:

• Free books through the Imagination Library
• Requesting books in lieu of holiday gifts
• Hand-me-downs from friends
• Sales at local libraries
• Shopping at used bookstores

I know that most libraries are closed at the moment but check online to see if your library still provides access to digital books. There’s nothing wrong with reading stories on your phone or tablet!

Read Every Day

Reading is a skill that takes a lot of time and practice. Just like riding a bike or learning how to swim, your little one has to work on it.

Every night before the girls go to bed, they each pick a couple of books for us to read together. Now that Goose can read independently, I also try to sit down with her for about 10 minutes each morning and listen to her read. Designating time to read every single day, even just 5-10 minutes, will make a significant longterm difference.

You can also take it a step further and read environmental print. Street signs, cereal boxes, store logos, DVD covers, recipes… It’s a fantastic way to pass time and show how important reading is in every aspect of the day.

Letter Sounds

Letters and sounds are the foundation of reading. Hopefully, you’ve already been singing the alphabet with your child. Over time, practice the different sounds each letter makes. This will help them with decoding (sounding words out) as they get closer to five or six.

There are tons of ways to have fun with letter sounds! Let me know in the comments if you’d like me to write a separate post dedicated to that!

Sight Words

One of the most frustrating parts of teaching children to read English is all of the inconsistencies in the language. Sight words are simple words that you memorize because they either occur frequently or don’t follow the typical letter/sound rules. Some examples are “you”, “the”, “said”, or “have”.

You can reach out to your kiddo’s future kindergarten school to see which sight word list their teachers will be utilizing (or just Google “kindergarten sight words” and pick your favorite). Every now and then when you come across these words as you read together, be sure to point them out. As time passes, they’ll be able to recognize them without prompting.

Be Patient

I cannot emphasize enough that it takes time to raise a reader! It is thrilling to hear your child read a book completely by themselves, but you have to be patient. Resist the urge to push your kids too hard and don’t let yourself get frustrated. Take little, tiny baby steps, never compare your child to other children, and celebrate every accomplishment as you go!

Are you getting your little one ready for school? Here are six preschool skills they should learn and see how real kindergarten teachers want you to prepare!

Talk to you soon!