Knowing how to grow strong readers comes down to understanding the reading readiness of young children. In fact, there are so many factors that play into when a child is ready to learn how to read, and believe it or not, age is not the biggest thing!
But have you ever wondered why some children are readers from very young ages while other either struggle or shows very little interest in reading at all? All in all, one of the main things that impacts this is a child’s readiness to learn how to read.Â
Is Your Child Showing Reading Readiness?
So how do you know when a child is ready to learn how to read?
Basically, there are a few tips that show a child’s reading readiness and I’ve listed how them below for you.
Print Awareness
Firstly, this is a children’s awareness of print around them. Children who point to letters on signs, in books, on posters, etc. are showing that they are aware of print. Therefore, this is a great sign! If your little one isn’t doing these things yet there are a few things you can do.
Print Motivation
How excited is a child to engage with print? That is their level of print motivation. Do they get excited when they see words or are they more interested in the pictures? These are simple questions that you can ask to determine the reading readiness of young learners. Â
Letter Knowledge to Increase Reading Readiness
When a child knows the names, shapes, and basic sounds letters make, they are showing a great grasp of letter knowledge. Learning each aspect of letter knowledge can be done in fun ways and does not only require a pencil, paper, and flashcards. Check out some fun letter recognition activities here.
Phonological Awareness
The sounds children hear and the ability to play with these sounds are basically what phonological awareness means. For example, taking the word MAT and changing it to CAT or HAT shows children’s understanding of how sounds work. Additionally, the best part of this is it does not require children to know letters because this is all about the sounds they hear. Check out this video to learn about the different parts of teaching your child how to read.
Narrative Skills Can Show Reading Readiness
Little ones do love to talk and that’s a wonderful thing! For this reason, children who are able to tell stories that follow a specific pattern of the beginning, middle, and end are showing an understanding of narrative skills. Besides that, they also notice the main characters, plot, and resolution. Overall, these are all things they will encounter when they become strong readers.
Vocabulary
Finally, the last key reading readiness skill relates to the vocabulary children have. The more words they are familiar with and have filed in their brains the easier it is when they see those words in print. Since they have already heard and more than likely used these words, they are better able to read and understand what they mean.
So there you have it, six key reading readiness skills children need before you start teaching them how to read. If you want all of these tips on one printable you can grab them in the Free Resource Library.
