Parent Tips: How to Prepare Toddlers and Young Children for Learning

Parent Tips: How to Prepare Toddlers and Young Children for Learning

If parents did  these 5 simple things they would greatly improve their child's readiness for school and reading.  These suggestions come from a former Reading Recovery Teacher and a mother of a very early reader.  

 1.       TALK TO THEM.  ABOUT EVERYTHING.  Put the screens down (parent and child!) and talk.  Oral language forms the foundation of everything with literacy, so we need to start talking more to our children.  Even just say what you’re doing out loud for them to hear. Try to point words out in the environment. and ask what sound the first letter makes for example.  

2.       Count everything – forwards backwards – make it a game.  Count the stairs, count the peas, count count count.

3.       Ditch the upper case letters.  If you open any book how many are on a page?  Far far less than lower case.  They need to be first and foremost.  Show your children lower case letters and have them master those first before you worry about upper case. 

4.       Forget the alphabet song  (well don't really, it's fun! ) But – focus on the SOUND letters make not their name! The sounds are the key to unlocking reading potential - the names are not nearly as important.  Get some lower case foam letters and toss 2 or 3 in the bath and make the sounds, add a few more letters each week as they master them.

5.       Read every night or day for 20 min together (or heck..just one story!)