Ten Activities that will Make your Child an Early Reader

You don’t need to rely on a future preschool teacher or the television set to teach your child literacy. Proactive parents can do quite a bit for their children at a very young age to set the stage for early reading and lifelong success at school. A child who feels successful has confidence, and as we all know, one who struggles with failure will often times develop poor coping skills and very low self-esteem. Don’t wait until your child is formally enrolled to start thinking about literacy. Start now. There are 10 very simple things parents can do with their toddlers that will ensure future success at school.

1. Read to each child in your house individually on a set schedule every day. In our house we read just before bedtime. I spend a total average of 30 minutes reading to my three boys. I let each child pick their own book. While I am reading with one child the others are either following along, looking at the pictures in their own book, or (as in the case of my 16 month old) playing quietly and observing. Let the child lead you where they want to go as far as their interests and abilities allow. For example, some children want to focus only on the pictures, and that is okay. You want them to enjoy books. Period. Just be patient and it will happen over time. My eldest child loved letters from a very early age. He recognized them at two, and knew all the sounds by 2 1/2. My middle child was much different. He loved to hear the stories and learn about science related things, but had no interest in learning the letters. Instead we developed a very special habit; I would read him the book and then he would retell it to me in his own words. He is now three and because he loves books so much he is beginning to have an interest and knows many of the letters he sees.
2. Get a Library Card for each of your kids. This is essential for their enthusiasm and independence. Most libraries will assign cards for children as young as two. Set aside one day out of the week, maybe bi-weekly, or even monthly if that is all you have the time for- and turn them loose at the library. It is a playground of information at their disposal, and it is all free. This comes in handy especially when a child develops a particular interest in a topic. You can use the online catalogue at your library to reserve books in your child’s name, even getting them delivered from neighboring libraries free of charge.
3. Play pretend while you read. This is key to getting their attention and interest, and is very important for young toddlers acquiring language skills. If you are reading the story of Little Red Riding Hood you need to become little Red Riding Hood. Let your child be the wolf who chases her. Go ahead and get up off the chair and get crazy for a minute. It is all a part of reading. By using expressions while you read and asking your children to act out the stories, you are creating a desire and focus that will foster positive attitudes for years to come. They will want to read every night. My boys enjoy storytime so much that they occasionally ask if it is bedtime yet.
4. Always point to words that you read aloud. Make this a habit, even if your child doesn’t seem to be paying attention. This is key to teaching your child that letters make words and words are used in sentences. It creates meaning that goes so much further than pictures do. If your child likes a word because it sounds or looks interesting, go ahead and repeat, spell, and sound-out the word (even if it is irregular). This will help your child to understand that letters have sounds and meanings. Don’t spend too much time trying to make sure your child ‘gets it’ and understands or retains the particular word that has caught his attention. At this point it doesn’t matter. You are just planting seeds. The key is to keep your child’s interest and attention, so you want to be moving at a light and lively pace. Keep it simple, and above all, keep it fun.
5. Invest in a few really good products that teach phonetic awareness. My all time favorite company for emergent literacy is Leapfrog. We have invested in several of their products including Fridge phonics and Word Whammer.
6. Point out letters, numbers, and words on everyday things. This is an important step toward teaching your child that words are important tools for getting information. So the next time your child asks for milk, show him the container and point to the word. Talk about it together, pronounce the letters, then very slowly sound them out. If you have a very precocious comedian on your hands, you may find him asking for “M-M-M-M i-i-i-i-i-i l-l-l-l-l-K Pleeeeaase!” on occasion once he masters the idea.
7. Join an organized toddler play group. You can start with your public library. Many of them offer story time and various other emerging literacy programs for toddlers and young preschool aged children. Kindermusik also offers a wide variety of programs that provide exposure to essential prereading concepts.
8. Read for your own enjoyment. Set aside time during the day when your kids can see you reading for your own pleasure. They will naturally want to know what you are reading, and may even pretend to read right along with you.
9. Find and utilize good educational websites with your child. A fairly new television show that has my kids captivated is “Super Why”. The show teaches reading and phonics through fractured fairy tales that always teach a lesson about how we can be helpful toward others. No need to worry, the tales are rated “G” and have no “film noir” qualities- no one falls into boiling pots, no one dies. Also check out our Top 10 Educational and Fun Websites for Preschoolers.
10. Finally, Sing as you go about the day. Okay, you are probably saying, “What?!” but please stay with me on this one. Music is a powerful tool for building literacy. So use music to get your kids thinking about words, the rhythm of sounds, rhyming, and enunciation. Don’t worry about whether your windows are closed or if someone coming to the door will somehow catch you being ridiculous. Just be ridiculous and get over it. Studies have shown that songs can help children remember important letter-to-sound relationships, phonics rules, spelling patterns, and will increase their vocabulary. In 2002 Anvari, et al. published “Relations among musical skills, phonological processing, and early reading ability in preschool children” in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. These researchers discovered a very strong correlation between musical training and early reading skills among 4 and 5 year-old children:

“Music, like language, is based in the auditory modality and the primary mode of music production, singing, uses the same vocal apparatus as speech.
Both speech and music involve combining small numbers of elements (phonemes, notes) according to rules (referred to as grammars in music theory) that allow the generation of unlimited numbers of phrases or utterances that are meaningful” [Anvari, 112].

But never-mind all the convincing research available. Sing because it is so darn fun, especially when your kids join in on the madness and begin to sing their own nonsensical ballet.

Below You will find a Quick List of Literacy Sources (to get you started on the right track)

• A review of Phonics, Syllable, and Accent Rules for Parents
• Printable books for early readers at enchantedlearning.com
• Story Readers for early readers
• “Leap’s Phonics Library”
• Progressive Phonics (they offer free downloads of a few sample phonics books)

Tags: Activity, Book, Child, Children, Early Literacy, Early Reader, Early Reading, Education, Family, Home-school, Homeschooling, Kids, Leapfrog, Reading

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Meet the Author

Caryn Talty

The editor of this website has a master's degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor of science degree in special education. She has taught students from early elementary school through college freshman level. Today she enjoys reading and writing about both hot topics and those not so commonly discussed on other websites. Most of her days are spent playing all kinds of make-believe with her three very young and active sons. | All articles by Caryn Talty.

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