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Approaching Reading Readiness:
Tips for Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood
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Recent attention on preparing students
for the testing requirements in reading that begin at third grade
has refocused efforts toward preparing children at the early elementary
ages to meet those oncoming requirements. In turn, a great deal
of attention is now placed on reading readiness—helping preschool
children become "ready" to learn by the time they enter
kindergarten. We know that children are born ready to learn. Because
we also know that young children learn by playing (see our article
Play
With Me!), it is only reasonable to blend into their play the
things that we wish them to be able to do when they reach grade
school. Given this, how can you help ensure that your child is "ready"
for reading without infringing on her playtime.
Five tips for encouraging language development
as your child approaches reading readiness:
 Read to your child often. Reading
with expression helps promote fluency and comprehension. Even
if he is not ready or able to sit still for more than a moment
or two, read as long as he can stand it, as often as he can stand
it. Read a variety of books, songs, and rhymes to him. Reading
to your child should be a pleasurable experience, so if she is
not enjoying it, take a break, return to it later, or read it
to her as she plays with something else. Talk about what you are
reading. Encourage him to talk about the book. Is something funny,
scary, or sad in the book? Call attention to details in the book
that are relevant to her. "Listen, this character's name starts
like yours, Nancy. See, his name is Nicholas. Can you hear the
/n/ sound?" Read the same thing several times. Sometimes it is
frustrating to adults to read the same book over and over, but
the repetition helps the child to build vocabulary and comprehension.
Encourage him to use what you have read in his play. "Hey, that
is just like the ship that Max used on his visit to where the
wild things lived." "You sounded just like the big billy goat
when you ran across that bridge."
Point out letters as you go about your day. While it
is not appropriate to point out every letter or make the child
recite them to you, noticing them will help her to become familiar
with their shapes. When a different font is used, talk about what
is similar and what is different about the shape of the same letter.
As he is able to assimilate more, talk about the sound individual
letters make, then about two or more letters together (br-, cr-,
st-), then about different phonemic sounds made by putting two
or more letters together (sh-, th-, ch-, ph). Help her learn the
letters in her name. Knowing the letters of the alphabet is an
important element of preschool literacy.
 Play word games with your child—great
on automobile trips! Leave out rhyming words in a familiar chant
and have him fill in the missing words. Take turns changing the
rhyming words. "No more monkeys jumping on my HEAD! No more monkeys
jumping, turning RED!" Ask him to tell which word does not rhyme
in a list of three or four. "Which word doesn't belong? Red, bed,
said, seal?" Don't put too much emphasis on being right. Keep
the time used in such games to an amount that will not frustrate
her. Incorporate these games into her play. "The baby sleeps on
something that rhymes with bib." "Let's make something to eat
that rhymes with lake." Being able to recognize and make up rhyming
words is essential to child literacy and child language development.
 Help your child take words apart
and put them back together. Separate words into phonemes, or sounds.
Help him listen for beginning, ending, and, later, middle sounds,
as vowel sounds are the hardest for him to distinguish. Change
one sound for another. "What is hat without the /h/ and
with a /k/ sound instead?" Have him plan a lunch menu where all
the items eaten start (end) with the same sound. "Let's have sandwiches,
salad, and soda today." Help her make up alliteration phrases.
"Monty mostly met moms this morning." Incorporate these activities
into her play time. Learning to manipulate sounds in spoken language
is an important element in child reading readiness.
 Introduce new words to your child
when appropriate. Tell her the meaning of the word, and use the
new word often at first to get her used to hearing how it is used
in speech. If the word is very difficult to pronounce, sound it
out very carefully when you say it, then say it normally, for
the first few times. Remind him of the meaning of the word as
often as necessary. Encourage your child to use the word when
appropriate. "You seem elated to see your grandparents
today. Are you very happy?" Help her listen for syllables, the
natural breaks in words. Clap these out, tap them with a stick
or pencil, and, later, count them as you speak. Increased vocabulary,
shown to help comprehension, is a child reading benefit of great
importance.
Do
you or someone you know teach or have school
age children? Find out the research-based K-12 instructional
resources available at the LearningLeads™
homepage, or go the Reading
Comprehension overview page. Be sure while you're there to
read the article about instruction in the transitional years from
kindergarten through grade 2 in Improving Reading Comprehension:
Making the Oral Reading Connection in the Early Grades.
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