“BooksAvenue is reader-supported and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for your kind support.”
How can we tell if a child has a strong grasp of the language? Certainly, there are myriad ways to do so. And among all, the most common way to do so is to gauge the child’s language skills by 3 factors: Speaking, Reading and Writing. This method is by a teacher who taught me when i was younger.
Out of the 3 factors, to speak and write are skills that can accomplished if and only if reading is not an issue. To be able to read is the very quintessence step to any language. Once being able to read then one will be able to learn to speak, and lastly write by themselves. With such importance and heavy emphasis on reading, it is our duty as a responsible parent to assist our little ones to be able to read as soon as possible.
Yet where and how do we parents start and help our children? Likewise, if your kid is reading already, how can help to improve his/her reading further? In line with BooksAvenue’s efforts in bridging readers to books and in improving global literacy, our team has compiled some of the common tips that parents should adopt to help our kids:
1. Teaching reading helps
Parents are told early teaching is harmful, but it isn’t true. You simply can’t introduce literacy too early. The “dangers of early teaching” has been a topic of study for more than 100 years, and no one has ever found any convincing evidence of harm. Moreover, there are hundreds of studies showing the benefits of reading to your children when they are young. [1]
2. Teaching literacy just as another skill
Since reading is a skill, teaching reading is the same as teaching any other skills too. Mothers and fathers successfully teach their kids to eat with a spoon, use a potty, keep their fingers out of their noses, and say “P&Qs” too. Reading should be taught as a skill, and it should be enjoyable. Being unpleasant (e.g. yelling, punishing, pressuring) doesn’t work, and it can be frustrating for everyone. Henceforth, this notion applies to teaching literacy, too. If you show your 18-month-old a book and he/she shows no interest, then put it away and come back to it later. No pressure. No hassle.
3. Talk to your kids often
Reading is a language activity, and if you want to learn language, you’d better hear it, and eventually, speak it. Too many moms and dads feel a bit dopey talking to a baby or young child, but studies have shown that exposing your child to a variety of words helps in her development of literacy skills. Improvements come when the language skills are activated and used often. Remember it was mentioned earlier that language can be learnt from speaking, reading and writing? As parents we ought to talk to kids more. This gives them a chance to reply and speak often too. [2]
4. Read to your kids.
Research shows benefits for kids as young as 9-months-old, and it could be effective even earlier than that. Reading to kids exposes them to richer vocabulary than they usually hear from the adults who speak to them, and can have positive impacts on their language, intelligence, and later literacy achievement. What to read to them? Visit your local library, and you can get an armful of adventure. [3]
5. Have your kids to share “stories.”
Another great way to introduce kids to literacy is to take their dictation. Have them recount an experience or make up a story. A typical first story may be something like, “I like fish. I like my sister. I like grandpa.” Write it as it is being told, and then read it aloud. Point at the words when you read them, or point at them when your child is trying to read the story. Over time, with lots of rereading, don’t be surprised if your child starts to recognize words such as “I” or “like.” (As children learn some of the words, you can write them on cards and keep them in a “word bank” for your child, using them to review later.)
On top of these 5 tips, BooksAvenue has a 90 days offer from Readability to let parents try out this reading app for free. It helps improve reading and comprehension in young and struggling readers, making it unlike anything else on the market. Also. Readability brings together Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Advanced Speech Recognition, Comprehension with Interactive Voice-based Questions & Answers (IVQA), Fun Content, Real-Time Performance Tracking, and Gamification within one mobile app to help young children become strong readers.
BooksAvenue hopes that this page helps to bridge the gap between readers and books. With clearer understanding and online resources, parents can help their little tots be a better reader. Do check out our links for other reading resources.
References:
[1] https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/10/16/17928164/early-childhood-education-doesnt-teach-kids-fund-it
[2]https://www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/home/articles/why-talking-important-children
[3] https://ascel.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/bump-booster/WorkingWithParents/Impact%20Reading%20to%20babies.pdf
BooksAvenue 