How can I support my child’s reading and writing education at home?
By Karen Sullivan

READ-READ-READ with Your Child!

Before you rush out to buy the latest product that promises to do the work for you, consider what educators long to give each of their students:  good old-fashioned one-on-one time and attention. It may sound obvious, but the very best thing to support literacy is to READ to and with children.  Show them all kinds of books and read with them a lot!  The sooner this kind of attention starts, the better. 

Give babies, toddlers, and children of all ages opportunities to explore piles and piles of books, then read to them (or let them read silently if they’re ready) the books that they choose.  If they show no interest in a story, put it away and move on until they find the books that enthrall and delight them. Don’t hesitate to reread the same story over and over if that’s what they want (in fact, that is a good sign!). 

The point is to encourage a love of books, of words, of language, especially in their early years.  “Read aloud time” is something children look forward to since it typically means a time for sitting close together and enjoying language, pictures, and stories.  Little do they know that this time is chock full of secret instruction. If read aloud time becomes a habit at home, children will have a solid foundation for strong academic reading and writing skills.

As preschoolers begin to mimic adult read-aloud behavior, they’re perceiving   themselves as “readers!” Encourage and praise this behavior, even if the child is making up words and not following the text. A child who is still discovering letters and their variety of sounds should not be expected to decode, or sound out, even a three-letter word. That would make their cozy “read aloud” time frustrating work.

However, it can be beneficial to point out a word that starts with a certain letter. Present it as a wonderful discovery such as, “Look at that. Apple starts with A!”  In that way, children begin to connect letters and sounds and a foundation for learning about word structure is built. 

Fortunately, a dizzying array of beautifully illustrated alphabet books that secretly support this kind of letter-sound exploration can be found in any library or bookstore. Equally beneficial are pattern books with rhythmic, repetitive language like those by the beloved Dr. Seuss.  Ask your local children’s librarian for suggestions or check out the sources referenced at the end of this article.

Building Comprehension

Research shows that comprehension, the ultimate goal of reading, is affected by a reader’s level of background knowledge. This refers to the level of understanding or familiarity with vocabulary and concepts of a text, before it is read. For children, this means that hearing or reading stories, and having lively conversations about them at least once every day, even briefly, can secretly build up their background knowledge through exposure to concepts that will increase their chances of comprehending more difficult texts later on. 

There are plenty of additional “secret” ways to encourage comprehension. Reading with expression and paying attention to illustrations not only add to the entertainment value, but also set an example for children to use expression and clues found in pictures to construct meaning from text.  Making predictions before and during a story is also a powerful way to model the habits of good readers.

After previewing a book’s cover and title, discuss answers to questions such as, “What will this story will be about? What makes you think that?” During the story, keep asking questions like, “What do you think will happen now? Why do you think the character did that? What would you do?” Children who practice expressing their thoughts and opinions orally will be stronger writers for it.

Encouraging Reading Supports Writing

How can oral language affect writing? Research shows that the act of reading directly supports the act of writing and visa versa. Therefore, encouraging one through the other is often quite effective.

In the early years, asking a child to create a picture in response to a story is an appropriate first “writing” step. The reverse is also true – asking a child to tell you a “story” using a wordless picture book or their own picture helps reinforce their concept of story sequence and structure.  Later, let them dictate to you a word, sentence, or whole story about their picture. Writing it for them models the physical process and offers them a safe environment to read aloud since the text represents their own words. Eventually, if they’re safe from criticism and frustration, they’ll be ready to independently write words and sentences using their own invented spelling, and so on and so on, until they’re writing full-fledged book reviews!

Finally, a word about spelling. As children are exposed to the subtleties of word structure throughout their education, their spelling will be positively affected, so be patient and offer editorial assistance only when they request it. Ideally, emphasize the content of their writing versus the accuracy of it since that will come with time. Their unique style, thoughts, ideas, and interpretations are the true gifts of literacy to be savored for a lifetime.

For More Information

For children’s literature suggestions, check out the links found in:

Yahooligans! Book Reviews and Awards [http://www.yahooligans.com/School_Bell/Language_Arts/]

International Reading Association Booklists
[http://www.reading.org/choices/]

Book Spot: Children’s Books
[http://www.bookspot.com/booksforchildren.htm]

For more tips on reading and writing with your child, check out these sites:

Reading Strategies for Parents [http://www.ceap.wcu.edu/ReadingCenter/ReadingStrategies.html]

Learning to Read – Reading to Learn; Helping Children with Learning Disabilities to Succeed
[http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/reading/ltr-cec/ltr5-cec.html]

Read-Aloud Tips for Parents
[http://www.sde.state.sc.us/archive/parcomm/readtips.htm]

Help Your Child To Read (US Dept. of Education)
[http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Reading/]

Children’s Literacy Development: Suggestions For Parents [http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/ieo/digests/d89.html]

For information about ongoing national literacy programs, visit:

America Reads
[http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/]

Read Across America (National Education Association)
[http://www.nea.org/readacross/]

Karen Hudson Sullivan is a credentialed Reading Specialist and K-12 teacher who also writes for educational software and web sites.