Like most things for children, the readiness for reading is created through a system of previously stacked skills that can help prepare and enforce the comprehension of communication through the written word. These skills are created through different means of communication before your child even hits kindergarten. Thankfully, we can look at what the groundwork should be to help determine when your child is ready to read.
What are their communication skills?
Singing, reading, even just talking to your infant is a way to create communication skills. When we interact with children on a regular basis through speech or sign language we are wiring their brain to understand verbal and visual cues. These wires will later be used to create a larger understanding for language.
As children learn to speak they should develop into not just parroting words and sentence, but become able to create sentence for themselves. As they learn how to create sentences, correct simple grammar for them, and repeat the corrected sentence. Correcting them in the moment so that they may use the English language correctly through speech is important for them to grasp sentence structure correctly. It may seem like too much for a small person, but children are geniuses, and they will absorb the corrections as their vocabulary widens.
As the speech and grammar broadens, make sure they are pronouncing words correctly. The pronunciation of each letter or pairing of letters will help them understand words as pieces that are put together as they learn to read and write. Help them understand what part of the mouth different sounds for different letters come from. Children often struggle with pronunciation for two main reasons. The muscles in their mouths aren’t used to working yet, or they don’t understand how to make the sound. Both the muscle and the understanding will improve as they grow. Keep positively correcting, and you’ll notice your child progressively speaking with more clarity.
Learning the alphabet is a must!
Now, what if you already have a strong talker? You can understand your child’s progressive speaking, they can hold a conversation with you, and even if they don’t always get it right, they attempt to articulate their own thoughts and feelings. The next step to knowing when your child is ready to read is their alphabet. A child should know their letters and what they say before attempting to have them read. If they don’t know the sound yet, trying to learn both at the same time can turn into frustration and overwhelm them. Play alphabet games, sing songs, and make every bit of the learning fun and inviting.
What’s next?
They know their alphabet. Perfect. If you think they have a firm foundation on language, speaking, and now letters, it’s probably safe to assume they’re ready to give it a go. Start small and slow. Like most thing, all children learn to read at their own pace. So, if you try it and they just aren’t quite getting it, maybe they really aren’t ready. There is nothing wrong with repeating things they already know to build their confidence for the next steps. Continue to read to them, sound out words slowly. When your child is ready to read, you’ll know.
What if I think they’re ready and they still aren’t getting it?
Check your child’s vision. It’s possible that your child is having difficulty seeing the words, and thusly making it difficult to comprehend. Children that were premature could have issues with the muscle of their eyes, and this can cause trouble with their vision focusing. Consider family history, how close they work on drawing, looking at pictures, and motor skill functions. If children are used to doing things up close, reading, watching devices, or coloring, it’s possible they could have developed a seeing problem. Reach out to an optometrist, and hopefully they can get you answers.
Remember that reading is a big milestone. It can take several tries before your child starts to understand it. Keep helping them with words and sentences. Encourage them to find books they enjoy. Play games. Use workbooks, and never be afraid to reach out to other moms or professionals for help.