10 Early Literacy Tips for Parents

Help Your Child Learn to Read

Early literacy is crucial for children’s academic success and lifelong learning. Parents play a pivotal role in fostering these skills. This guide offers practical early literacy tips to help parents support their children’s journey to becoming proficient readers.

1. Create a Reading-Friendly Environment

• Surround with Books: Make books easily accessible at home. Consider baskets or low shelves because young children like things out where they can see them.
• Designate Reading Time: Set a daily reading routine. This is a great quiet-time routine, such as after dinner.
• Model Reading: Let your child see you read regularly.

2. Encourage Active Reading

• Discuss Books: Talk about stories and ask open-ended questions.
• Predict Outcomes: Before turning a page, ask what might happen next.
• Relate to Life: Connect stories to real-life experiences.

3. Use Phonics and Word Recognition

• Letter-Sound Practice: Help children learn the sounds each letter makes.
• Word Games: Play games like Scrabble or word searches.
• Highlight New Words: Introduce new vocabulary regularly.

4. Develop Comprehension Skills

• Summarize Stories: After reading, ask your child to summarize the story.
• Ask Questions: Who, what, when, where, why, and how questions improve understanding.
• Visualize: Encourage children to imagine scenes from the book.

5. Support Writing Alongside Reading

• Writing Practice: Encourage your child to write letters, stories, or keep a journal.
• Use Their Pictures: If your child is not writing independently yet, offer to write down their description when they draw a picture. Say each word as you write it and ask them to help you spell sounds they know.
• Interactive Reading: Have them write (or draw!) about the stories they read.
• Praise Efforts: Celebrate all attempts at writing, focusing on progress and intent. “Play writing,” where children scribble and tell you what it “says,” is an important step toward pencil control and understanding that print has meaning.

6. Handle Reading Mistakes Positively

1. Encourage Self-Correction: Ask, “Did that make sense?”
2. Focus on Letters and Sounds: “What are the letters in that word?” “What sound does that letter spell?”
3. Segment Sounds: Tap out the sounds in a word. If your child is stuck, you say the sounds slowly and have them blend the whole word.
4. Break Down Syllables: “What’s the first syllable?” They (or you) can cover the rest of the word with a finger or bookmark to focus on one part at a time.
5. Identify Prefixes/Suffixes: Recognize common word parts or morphemes. You can point out meaningful parts of words. “Unhelpful has un- at the beginning, which means not. So I know unhelpful means not willing to help.” In some words, syllables are more helpful parts, and in other words knowing the prefix or suffix helps more.
6. Provide the Word: Sometimes it’s best to just tell them the word. This is especially true with people’s names and place names, but it can be needed with any kind of word. They learn rare spellings and exceptions through lots of practice and lots of examples. It takes time.
7. Take Turns Reading: Read together to model fluency. They get to hear how you pronounce words as they read along.
8. Reread for Clarity: Ask them to read a sentence again if it’s unclear.

7. Integrate Reading into Daily Activities

• Read Signs and Labels: Point out and read street signs, menus, and product labels.
• Cook Together: Read recipes and instructions aloud.
• Story Time: Make up stories together during car rides or bedtime.

8. Use Technology Thoughtfully

• Educational Apps: Choose apps that promote reading and phonics skills.
• Audiobooks: Listen to stories during downtime.
• Interactive E-books: Engage with books that have interactive features.

9. Encourage a Love for Reading

• Book Choices: Let children choose books that interest them.
• Library Visits: Make regular trips to the library.
• Book Clubs: Join or create a parent-child book club.

10. Try Decodable Books

Decodable books are special because they are written with children’s reading development in mind. Choose a decodable book that lines up with what your child has been reading at school.

Conclusion

Helping your child develop early literacy skills is a rewarding process. By creating a supportive reading environment, encouraging active engagement with texts, and making reading a fun part of daily life, parents can foster a love for reading that lasts a lifetime. Implementing these early literacy tips for parents will not only enhance your child’s reading abilities but also strengthen the parent-child bond through shared reading experiences.

If your child is struggling to read, it may be time to get them some help. Contact us to find out how online Orton-Gillingham tutoring can help them build skills and gain confidence!