Reading with your preschooler
Once your child starts at preschool, reading will be an important part of her early education – and your input is vital to ensure she hits the ground running when it comes to figuring out how letters fit together to form words and what the words sound like.
You’ll likely have been sharing books with your child since she was a baby and looking at picture books together with your baby is a great way to plan the seeds for early reading. Now is when it all starts to come to fruition, as your child learns the three basic elements that make up the written word – syntax, semantics and phonics. If you continue to read with her every day your input will play a big part in helping her to understand these concepts.
What is syntax?
This is the way that words and punctuation go together to create sentences and paragraphs. To grasp the concept, your child has to understand the structure of a book – that it has a beginning and an end, the sentences run from left to right and the words fit together to form sentences which, in turn, form paragraphs, whole pages and chapters. She also needs to know what periods, commas and other forms of punctuation mean.
How to help your child understand
- Follow the words with your finger as you read with her.
- Exaggerate any punctuation, such as commas (take a breath to indicate the slight pause) and exclamation marks (raise your voice a tad to denote surprise).
- Re-read some of the sentences in her book to show her how they sound with a different tense – for example, ‘today we went to the playground’ can become ‘tomorrow we’ll go to the playground’.
What is semantics?
This is the way in which words relate to each other. Your child will need to be able to recognise and define what she reads, so that she can understand the characters in a story, predict what might happen and talk about what she has read afterwards.
How to help your child understand
- Choose books that tell proper stories and which might take several sessions to get through, as this will encourage your child to remember what’s happened so far.
- Talk about what’s happening in the story as you read it.
- Encourage your child to predict how she thinks the story might turn out.
What is phonics?
This is the ability to understand the sounds that letters make. Your child will need to be able to sound out words and recognise similar words, and to distinguish between words that have different letters but sound the same and words that are pronounced the same way but have different meanings (for instance, their and there).
How to help your child understand
- Read rhyming books and point out the differences in meaning between words that sound the same (for instance, the cat in the hat).
- Get your child to read out loud to you and help her to pronounce any new or difficult words.
How to make reading fun
It’s important that reading doesn’t become a chore to your child. Make it fun and don’t just focus on books you think will help her to learn. Her ability to learn depends more on the way you read with her – if it’s read in the right way, even a comic book will help her learn.
Use an expressive voice – it’ll be more enjoyable for her and it will also teach her about sentence structure and punctuation. Make animal noises if they occur in the story; shout or whisper – you can even sing parts of the book.
Talk about the book you’re going to read – ask her what she thinks might happen next in the story or what she thinks the characters should do. At the end, ask her what she did and didn’t like about the story. Although you should be trying to get her to read with you, do keep the flow going, prompting her if there’s a word she can’t manage.
Don’t correct every tiny mistake – as long as she understand the meaning, it’s fine if she mixes up a few words. After repeated readings, your child will probably memorise the words on the page and try to ‘read’ the book to herself time and time again – all good practice for proper reading.
Making time to read
Even a short reading session every day will make all the difference to your child’s reading ability later on. It’s not something that needs to take place according to a rigid timetable either – keep in mind that you shouldn’t force your child into a reading session she doesn’t want, and that reading should last only as long as she’s interested. It shouldn’t be ‘homework’ – it should be enjoyable.
If you don’t like formal reading sessions, you can read everywhere you go – road signs, newspapers, advertising hoardings, cereal boxes. Take advantage of any quiet moments that pop up during the day and if your child wants a story, be prepared to stop what you’re doing and read with her. And remember, you don’t have to be doing the reading – get your child to read aloud to her toys or sit and read alone if she wants to.
Check out events for children at your local library. It will probably run organised ‘tot-time’ sessions and it’ll be good for your child to see other children enjoying books. It may even give you a few tips on making reading sessions at home more enjoyable. The children’s librarian also can be a vital source of advice on what books best suit your child’s age group and skill level. If she gets to know you as a regular she’ll know exactly what your child’s interests are and what books will best satisfy her. Visiting the library also guarantees a varied supply of books so you’re not relying on the same titles again and again.
Building a home library
Along with your child’s old favourites, aim to get some good rhyming books, simple non-fiction and titles that introduce different cultures and backgrounds. As a developing reader, your child will now be ready for longer books with more complex storylines and more characters. Reading a chapter each night will encourage her to recall what has already happened in the book the next time you have a reading session.
She’s likely to be asking lots of
questions – how, why, where, what. Mix storybooks with simple non-fiction books that will satisfy her interest in how the world around her works. Activity books are also good, and help your child to understand that a book can be informative as well as entertaining. You’ll find your child still relies on visual imagery to help her understand what she’s reading, so stick to books that have pictures to go with the text.
Books can be expensive, so keep an eye peeled for local car boot sales where you should be able to pick up some bargains. Before you buy, check books first to make sure they’re intact and that they haven’t been scribbled on. Try to encourage your child to respect and care for her books and point out that tearing them or writing on them will spoil the story.
Are you helping your child to read?
Home environment plays a crucial role in stimulating a child’s interest in books. Your influence is crucial – if your child sees you enjoying books, then she is more likely to. Studies have shown that where children learned to read early, the following factors were all present:
- They had all been read to on a regular basis and their parents were enthusiastic readers.
- There was a good supply of reading material in the home, from magazines and newspapers to books.
- Many children’s desire to learn to read by themselves stems from trying to copy letters of the alphabets – in the homes of the early readers, paper and pencils were always available.
- The parents of the early readers took an interest in their children’s efforts, praising them and answering their constant questions.
- The children who were early readers regularly visited the library.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
Related Articles
Last Modified: 02/11/2008