One concern that a lot of parents of young children
have is how to best prepare them for success in school. With the profuse amount of information and
ideas thrown at them every day it can be overwhelming. From reading programs that promise to have your
infant reading, to online learning programs that promise to prepare them for
school, parents can feel a lot of pressure. Relax!
You are probably already doing many things that will prepare your child, and by
adding in a few simple ideas you can rest assured that they will be.
First,
remember to play and explore. This could
be the single most important thing that you can do. Children need to have a lot of experiences to
build on. When feasible follow your
child’s lead. If they ask what some
place they see is, go and explore it together.
It doesn’t matter if it is a flower shop, an open field, or the
cardboard box spaceship in the living room.
The experience and the conversation that is likely to occur is what is
important.
A
child’s language skills and literacy development go hand in hand. Just talking to your child prepares them for
later reading. Don’t limit your speech
to simple words, if your child seems unsure of what you are saying restate it
using different terms, explain it to them, and/or defining words as
needed. Encourage them to tell you about
their day, how they are feeling, descriptions of what they are or would like to
do and see, play rhyming games, sing songs, and tell you stories. Riding in the car can be a perfect time for
these types of activities.
Reading
to children often is one of the easiest things that you can do. Pointing to the words as you read them helps
them to learn that words carry meaning and that we read from left to right, top
to bottom. Let them turn the pages, and
talk about what is going on or what they think is going to happen next. Encourage them to tell you the story using
the pictures as a guide. Bedtime is an
ideal time for read alouds. This is a great
time to read stories that the whole family can enjoy, including chapter books
above the youngest family members level.
The exposure to the language and the rhythm of the story will expand
their vocabulary and increase their enjoyment.
Don’t forget to let your child see you reading in your daily activities
as well. This sends the message that it
is an important and worthwhile activity.
Lastly
make sure that your child has a lot of writing tools available to them, and
encourage there use. If you are writing a
to-do or grocery list, give them materials to create their own. This not only helps them to build writing
skills, but also shows that print is important and serves a purpose. Most importantly, remember to have fun.
The
following websites offer other great ideas to help you get started:
Information taken in part from: Strickland, D., & Riley-Ayers, S. (2006,
April 1). Early Literacy: Policy and Practice in the Preschool Years. Retrieved
November 12, 2015, from
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/early-literacy-policy-and-practice-preschool-years
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