Learning To Read Should Be As Easy As Learning To Talk

Just watch how a preschooler will pretend to read a story you have just read for them. They are learning by imitation. Actually that is how children learn many things. Take speech for an example. Young children learn to talk by imitating the sounds made by their parents. They then learn how the sounds go together to make words.




When you helped your child learn to talk you both had fun. You probably made up games to stimulate them to talk. They interacted with you and that made the learning process enjoyable. You both smiled and laughed when they learned to say new words or phrases.

Reading and writing are simply talking on paper. Why shouldn’t learning to read be just as much fun as learning to talk? Here are some tips for encouraging your child to enjoy reading:

• Read to your child. No matter what age your child happens to be, he will benefit from listening to you read aloud.
  
• Discuss the books you read to your child.
  
• Be a good reading "model" by letting your child see you read.
  
• Introduce your child to books that discuss his hobby, interests, or new experiences.
  
• Buy books as presents for your child and he’ll learn to value books.
  
• Make sure your child has a library card.