Developing Early Reading Skills in Your Preschoolers

Developing Early Reading Skills in Your Preschoolers

Children learn to read at various ages, but each child learns through the same basic process. Learning to read is a combination of acquiring understanding in three different skill areas. Skills in syntax, semantics, and phonics develop through an ongoing process that begins as early as infancy. There are a number of fun ways to enhance these skills during early childhood.

Syntax is the way words are grammatically arranged into sentences and paragraphs. It is an understanding of written language. Syntax skills usually begin to emerge during the toddler years, as your child learns to hold a book the correct way and realizes the book progresses through pages that are turned left to right. Soon after a child gains an understanding of the structure of a book, he will begin to learn how the words and sentences are put together. As you read with your child, follow the words with your finger as you speak. This will help her see the relationships between words and understand how a sentence is structured.

Select books that contain repetitive word patterns to emphasize specific sentence formation. Dr. Seuss is an excellent choice for preschoolers. Semantics refers to the understanding of the meaning of written language. These skills include vocabulary as well as reading comprehension skills. Semantic skills typically emerge during the early preschool years and will continue to develop rapidly through the early elementary years. Choose paragraph books with a strong storyline to share with your preschooler. Ask plenty of open-ended questions throughout the story to help your child grasp the plot and the characters of the book. Give your preschooler an opportunity to predict what may happen next at various points of the story and discuss the book and the characters when you finish reading. When your child begins to read on his own, continue to ask questions about what is happening in the story to enhance his comprehension skills.

Do not spend too much time on problem words during story time. It is best to read the word for your child and explain the meaning, then review the troublesome word later to avoid loosing understanding of the story. Encourage your early reader to start a personal vocabulary dictionary to write new words he comes across during his reading. Phonics involves the relationship of certain letters and the sounds they create together to form words. Alphabet books designed to emphasize a specific letter are wonderful for beginning phonics skills. Card games, like those by Leap Frog, encourage children to practice basic phonetic sounds as well. Simple rhymes, chants, and poems can enhance early reading skills by helping your child recognize similar sounds in words.

As your child becomes an emergent reader, there are a variety of fun games and programs available to teach more advanced letter blends and phonetic combinations. Introduce your child to various printed media, like magazines or newspapers, and use the rules of phonics to decode new words. Continue to read with your child and to your child on a daily basis, even after he learns to read on his own. Pay special attention to any areas your child seems to have difficulties in and use a fun activity to reinforce these skills.

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