"They" Say She Should Be Reading!
In order for children to learn to read there are some basic building blocks that must be in place. The building blocks necessary include: vocabulary, storytelling, and phonological awareness. I will talk about these in more detail in just a bit, but first I would like to share a story about two little girls who learned to read in two very different ways.
Little Girl 1 was very verbal from a very young age. She developed a very large vocabulary, loved to listen to books and retell stories and learned the names of letters and the sounds that they made as well. Her well-meaning mother thought that she could speed up the process of learning to read by using flashcards of common words. LG#1 was presented with the flashcards at every opportunity and asked to "read" them. There was only one problem. She couldn't "read" them. She was four years old. Eventually the mother just gave up on the "drills". Clearly this child was not interested in learning to read despite her mother's best efforts.
When Little Girl 1 was six years old and in the first grade she brought home a book from school. It was about a deer in the woods. She sat her mother down and read the book to her. Her mother had tears in her eyes and Little Girl 1 was clearly excited about mastering this new skill all on her own. She then went on to begin reading as many books as she could get her hands on and grew up to be a very voracious reader.
Little Girl 2 was not very verbal but did enjoy listening to books and engaging in a lot of imaginative play with her older sister. Her well-meaning mother thought that she would eventually learn to read but decided there wasn't much point in "pushing" her. Her birth date would allow for her to have an extra six months before starting school and her mother thought this was a good thing as it would allow her to "mature" a little more.
One day when LG#2 was four and a half, her preschool teacher called to talk with the mom. Imagine the mother's surprise when the teacher didn't start talking about the child being "behind" but when she asked the mom, "Has LG#2 been reading to you at home?" When the mom replied " she can't read," the teacher replied, "Oh yes she can, just ask her."
Entering the child's room where the little girl was on her bed reading a book (as it turns out, she actually was reading it), the Mom told her about the conversation with Miss Julie and asked her if it was true. The child casually replied that she had been reading for awhile and she just learned by herself at school. This child also went on to read as many books as she could get her hands on and she also grew up to be a voracious reader.
Building Blocks for Learning to Read:
Vocabulary is the strongest predictor of later reading and literacy ability. Children build vocabulary by listening to language, so parents and teachers need to talk, talk, talk, talk.
Talk with your child while going from place to place in the car, at the grocery store, while looking at pictures in magazines and books, at the dinner table, and while supervising bath time. Expand on their language by adding descriptive words to what they say. Allow children to "play" with words. I'm talking about those "silly" words that they sometimes make up and giggle wildly afterward. You know the ones I'm talking about.
Storytelling is the bridge that moves children from language to reading. As children get older they add more narrative and structure to their stories.Here is a fun activity. Have your child dictate a story to you. Write down what they say, word for word, no editing needed. Then read it back to the child while pointing out that this is what they said. The child can then illustrate their story and create their own library of storybooks!
Phonological awareness comes about when a child can isolate individual sounds. This is a very difficult task for young children. Reading requires that the child become conscious of the fact that written words are made up of pieces of sound. A good place to start to learn this concept is to begin with the child's favorite word--their name! Then they can move on to other names such as their siblings and pets. Introduce simple rhyming words and place magnetic letters on the refrigerator for experimenting with letter combinations.
Pointing out and talking about environmental print, such as familiar logos, (McDonald's comes to mind), words on food containers, and road signs helps children begin to learn that print has meaning and can be useful. Have them help make lists of needed grocery items or make a "to-do" list that includes errands to run or reminders of future family outings.
Bottom line: Learning to read should be fun for children and not feel like work! Providing literacy rich experiences in a relaxed, unhurried environment and refraining from "pushing" and "drilling" can help children become lifelong readers. That's a good thing!
The story about Little Girls 1 and 2 is a true story. How do I know? I know because they are my daughters and I am that "well-meaning" mother.
That's it for now.
Check back later!
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