There are several vital skills that children learn during their developmental years, and reading is at or near the top of any such list. Reading is one of many areas where learning can come from multiple sources — while kids will learn important concepts and reading skills at school, parents can also play an important role in reinforcing these themes at home.
At Smart Kids Development Center, we’re happy to provide quality reading themes as major parts of our preschool and kindergarten classes in Salt Lake City. We also work closely with parents to ensure reading is being promoted and encouraged at home, plus to give them some simple tactics for reinforcing these concepts in several different ways. This two-part blog series will go over a number of such tactics, which you can adjust as necessary based on the age and reading level of your child, plus other factors.
Particularly for younger children who are still developing their basic reading skills, reading out loud is an excellent way to promote reading skills and comprehension. Perhaps the best method here is telling your child to follow along as you read. It can be helpful to point to each word as you are reading it, especially if the child is still learning how to read or sounds out words phonetically.
As kids get older, make sure they are able to sit for longer reading sessions before breaking away. Also, encourage them to choose books that are slightly above their actual reading level. The goal should be to find books that are slightly challenging for your child to read, rather than something they will breeze through with ease. For example, if your child is working on sight words or decoding skills, make sure they are actually reading the words correctly before moving on!
Local libraries are a fantastic resource for children of many ages, and many offer “story hours” or related programs where kids can read out loud with an adult. If nothing else, just knowing that their child is interested in reading will bring smile to most parents! Home visits for older kids can also include some time at the library, where your child’s teacher may encourage them to check out books on various subjects or themes.
And if your child begins to truly enjoy the library, you’ve made a major impact on their reading development. You can spend time browsing books they might enjoy, then read one or two to them. If it’s a good fit, they’ll keep coming back for more!
For more on how to encourage and promote reading skills in children outside the classroom, or to learn about any of our preschool, daycare or other child care programs in Salt Lake City, speak to the staff at Smart Kids Development Center today.