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Born to Read
Tips: Help Your Child Get Ready to Read
Help Your Child Learn Words & Their Meaning
Help Your Child Notice Printed Words / Learn How to Handle A Book /
How to Follow Words On Page
Help Your Child Learn To Describe Things / Events and Tell Stories
Help Your Child Hear & Play with the Smaller Sounds in Words
Help Your Child Learn that Letters Are Different From Each Other /
Help Your Child Learn the Names and Sounds of Letters
Help Your Child Learn Words & Their Meaning
Children who know more words are better readers.
Birth to Two-Year-Olds
◊ Talk to your baby or toddler about what is going on around you.
◊ Listen carefully and respond to your baby’s babbles or your child’s talking.
◊ Ask questions even if your child does not have the words to answer.
◊ Read together every day. Name the pictures as you point to them.
Two- and Three-Year Olds
◊ Talk about feelings—yours and your child’s.
◊ Add more detail to what your child says.
◊ Read to your child every day and talk about the pictures and the story.
Four- and Five-Year-Olds
◊ Talk about feelings, ideas, and how things work.
◊ Speak in the language that is most comfortable for you.
◊ Learn together by reading some true books on subjects that your child likes.
Help Your Child Enjoy Books
Children who enjoy books will want to learn to read.
Birth to Five-Year-Olds
◊ Begin reading books early—even when your child is a newborn.
◊ Make book sharing time a special time—just you and your baby or child.
◊ Let your child see you reading.
◊ Give books as gifts
◊ Visit your public library often. The library has lists of recommended books for children.
Ask your librarian for help in choosing books to share with your baby or child.
Help Your Child Notice Printed Words
Learn How to Handle A Book
How to Follow Words On Page
Children who are familiar with printed language feel comfortable with books and
understand that print is useful.
Birth to Two-Year-Olds
◊ Use board books or cloth books and have your child hold the book.
◊ If there are only a few words on the page, point to each word as you say it.
◊ Read aloud everyday print: labels, signs, lists, menus. Print is everywhere!
Two- to Five-Year-Olds
◊ Point to some of the words as you say them, especially words that are repeated.
◊ Let your child turn the pages.
◊ Let your child hold the book and read or tell the story.
◊ Hold the book upside down. See if your child turns the book around.
Help Your Child Learn To Describe Things / Events and Tell Stories
Children who can tell a story will be able to understand what they read.
Birth to Two-Year-Olds
◊ Talk to your child about what you are doing.
◊ Tell your child stories.
◊ Encourage your toddler to tell you about things. Listen patiently and ask questions.
◊ Read favorite books again and again.
Two- and Three-Year-Olds
◊ Ask your child to tell you about something that happened today.
◊ Read books together. Stories help children understand that things happen in order
◊ Read a favorite book. You be the listener and let your child tell you the story.
Four- and Five-Year-Olds
◊ Ask “what” questions. Point to a picture and say, “What’s that?” or “What is happening here?”
◊ Add to what your child says. If your child says, “big truck” then you say, “Yes, a big red fire truck.”
◊ Help your child relate a story to his own experience, for example, “What happened when we went on a picnic?”
Help Your Child Hear & Play with the Smaller Sounds in Words
Children who can hear the sounds that make up words will be able to sound out written words when they begin to read.
Birth to Two-Year-Olds
◊ Say or read nursery rhymes so that your child hears words that rhyme. Stress the rhyming words.
◊ Sing to help your child hear syllables in words. In most songs, each syllable gets a different note.
◊ Make up your own silly, nonsense rhymes.
Two- and Three-Year-Olds
◊ Play word games such as, “What sounds like ran?” or “What starts with the same sound as ball?”
◊ Say rhymes and sing in the language that is most comfortable for you.
Four- and Five-Year-Olds
◊ Ask whether two words rhyme: “Do cat and dog rhyme?” “Do cat and hat rhyme?”
◊ Say words with word chunks left out: “What word would we have if we took the sea away from seahorse?”
◊ Put two word chunks together to make a word: “What word would we have if we put cup and cake together?”
Help Your Child Learn that Letters Are Different From Each Other /
Help Your Child Learn the Names and Sounds of Letters
Children who know the names and sounds of letters will be more able to sound out written words.
Birth to Two-Year-Olds
◊ Help your baby or toddler see and feel different shapes as you play. Say, “The ball is round.”
◊ Read alphabet books.
◊ Point out letters on toys, food boxes and other objects around the house.
◊ Talk with your toddler about what is the same and what is different between two things.
Two- to Three-Year-Olds
◊ Write your child’s name, especially the first letter.
◊ Make letters from clay or use magnetic letters.
Four- to Five-Year-Olds
◊ Show your child that the same letter can look different.
◊ Write words that interest your child (like dinosaur or truck) using crayons, magnetic letters, or pencil and paper.
Last updated: March 25, 2010