Watch, as your child will pretend to read a story that you have just read for them. They are learning to read just as they are learning to talk, by imitation. This is how children learn to do many things. Take talking for an example. Children learn to talk by imitating the sounds they hear from their parents and people around them. Soon they learn how to but the sounds together to make words. Before long these word are put together to form sentences.

Helping your child to learn to talk was a fun and memorable experience for you both. Did you make up games, or did you just continually repeat a phrase to stimulate them to talk. This interaction with you made the learning process enjoyable. Did you not both smile and laugh when they learned to say a new word or phrase. It is an exciting time in your child’s development. Now they can communicate there wants, needs, and feeling with you.

Reading and writing in its simplest form is talking on paper. Learning to read should be just as much fun as learning to talk. As parents it our job to further our child’s development. We must spend as much time teaching them to read as we did to talk. This does not have to be a job but rather an enjoyable experience. You will have as much enjoyment if not more teaching your child to read as you did teaching them to talk. Making sure your child can read and enjoys reading will be the most important lesson we will ever teach our child.

Here are a few tips to get you both started.

1. Read to your child. The sooner you start the sooner they will benefit from listening to you read aloud.
2. Discuss the books you read to your child. Try to peak there interest in the book.
3. Be a good reading “model” let your child see you read and talk about what you just read.
4. Introduce your child to books that they have natural interests in, or ones that will guide them to new experiences.
5. Buy books as presents for your child they will value books more if they receive them as gifts.
6. Get your child a library card as soon as possible and visit the library often.