Early Literacy Strategies: 4 Essential Ways To Enhance Your Child’s Reading Skills

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” ― Walt Disney

Reading aloud to children and creating a print-rich environment are essential practices that significantly enhance their literacy skills. Integrating these activities into daily routines fosters a love for reading and learning in young minds.

Here are four literacy strategies that are crucial to enhancing your child’s reading skills.

1. Read Aloud Regularly

Make reading aloud part of your daily routine. A regular schedule sets the expectation that stories are a valued activity. This can be right before bed, after breakfast, or any consistent time that fits into your child’s day.

Use expressive voices and gestures to bring the characters and events to life. Change your voice for different characters and show appropriate emotions. This makes the story more vivid and memorable.

Ask questions about the story to make it interactive. Pause during the reading to get their thoughts. For example:

• “Why do you think the character did that?”
• “How do you think this will end?”

This encourages critical thinking and deeper engagement with the material.

Encourage their input about the plot or characters. Get them to guess what happens next or discuss their actions in a character’s shoes. This helps develop their comprehension skills.

Connect the story to your child’s own life. If a character feels scared about starting something new, ask your child if they’ve ever felt that way. This will promote empathy and a deeper understanding of emotions.

Take time to explore the pictures and discuss what’s happening. This will stretch their imagination and keep the experience engaging.

Pro tip: Revisit certain parts or read your favorite books multiple times. Repetition helps children recognize words and understand patterns.

Create a comfortable reading space with good lighting and cozy seating. The physical space can make a difference in how enjoyable reading feels.

Remember: Show your enthusiasm. Your positive attitude towards reading will be contagious. If you enjoy the story, they’re more likely to enjoy it too.

2. Create a Print-Rich Environment

Fill your home or classroom with books, magazines, and other reading materials. Make reading materials easily accessible. Position bookshelves at a child-friendly height so kids can easily explore books independently.

Label objects in the environment to foster print awareness. Start with everyday items like “door,” “chair,” and “table.” This builds vocabulary and helps them understand the connection between spoken and written language.

Display children’s work, such as stories and drawings, to show their writing is valued. Create a dedicated wall space to showcase their efforts. This will give them a sense of pride and motivate them to write and read more.

Integrate magazines, comic books, and appropriate digital content. This shows that reading isn’t confined to textbooks; it can inform, entertain, and inspire in many forms.

Incorporate thematic reading corners and cozy nooks. Creating themed spaces can make reading feel like an adventure and capture children’s imaginations.

Tips for creating a print-rich environment:

• Involve children in creating the environment
• Keep the environment dynamic by rotating reading materials
• Include multilingual books or materials if applicable

3. Encourage Choice in Reading

Allow children to select books that interest them, fostering independence and enthusiasm and giving them a sense of control over their reading journey.

Introduce series or authors that match their preferences to build a reading habit. Series can hook readers with familiar characters and new adventures in each book.

Pay attention to what they naturally gravitate towards and build from there. Align reading material with their current interests to make reading relevant and enjoyable.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

Acknowledge and celebrate their choices. Show interest in their selections and ask what they find intriguing about them.

Blend freedom with guidance. Show enthusiasm for various genres and formats, but let the final choice be theirs.

Provide a variety of options to keep things fresh and exciting. Regular visits to the library or bookstore can be engaging adventures.

4. Support Phonemic Awareness

Engage in activities that build phonemic awareness, such as rhyming games, identifying beginning sounds, and blending sounds. These activities help children understand that words are made up of smaller sounds.

Activity	Description
Rhyming Games	Play with simple words like “cat,” “hat,” and “bat”
Beginning Sounds	Identify objects starting with a specific sound (e.g., “buh” for “b”)
Sound Blending	Break down words into sounds (e.g., “m-a-t” for “mat”)

Use songs and nursery rhymes to enhance auditory discrimination skills. Their rhythmic nature makes it easier for children to pick up on different sounds.

Clap out syllables in different words. This helps children hear the chunks within words, a fundamental step towards phonemic awareness.

Consider using educational apps designed to promote phonemic awareness, balancing screen activities with hands-on experiences.

Remember: Celebrate their successes to build confidence and enthusiasm. The goal is to make learning fun and engaging.

The key takeaway is to make reading an enjoyable and integral part of children’s lives. By holding regular read-aloud sessions, creating inviting reading spaces, allowing them to choose their books, and supporting phonemic awareness, we can set the foundation for a lifelong love of reading.

1. National Early Literacy Panel. Developing early literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy; 2008.
2. Whitehurst GJ, Lonigan CJ. Child development and emergent literacy. Child Dev. 1998;69(3):848-872.
3. Bus AG, van IJzendoorn MH, Pellegrini AD. Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Rev Educ Res. 1995;65(1):1-21.