We talk a lot about parent participation at school, but what about parent participation pre-school? Classroom moms and dads clearly are involved with their child's education, but what can you do to help your child be prepared even before they enter the classroom? Today Dr. Erika Burton shares her tips on how parents can become actively involved in their child's early learning process, particularly when it comes to reading skills. Thanks Erika!
Early childhood education sets the stage for future academic achievement.
Whether you choose a pre-school setting, home school your child, or a combination of both, exposure and parent modeling of literacy skills before, during and after the preschool years is essential. The number one indicator of academic success is parental involvement.
Research
A study conducted last spring in over 27 countries and over 20 years confirmed that having over 500 books in ones’ home is more important to a child’s projected academic success than a parent’s education. There are few studies to date on parent involvement in early literacy skills and development when reading with them. Yet, educators know that the number one predictor of lifelong academic achievement is parental involvement.
Ready for beginning literacy skills?
Where do you start if your child does not know their letters or sounds?
- Expose your child to literacy in natural occurring situations- Point out stop, speed, and washroom signs.
- Label your house- Make a project out of writing and taping words for things around your house that your child can see, touch, and repeat every day.
- Alphabet fun- Play with the alphabet out of order through developing a letter of the day, week, or month and try to incorporate each through meals, toys, searching for pictures in books and on the internet. Have your child help you. Take pictures and/or develop a book for each letter. Develop hands-on opportunities for your child to make each letter cutting them from sponges, forming them using play dough, or making them in the sand!
- Sound fun- Make up songs, games, or dances using the sounds of each letter in the alphabet. Buy a puzzle or game that repeats letter sounds to allow for independent learning opportunities.
Where do you start if your child is ready to read?
- Investigate- The first reading steps are always the most nerve wrecking. Make sure your child is ready. Does your child know their letters and sounds?
- What are the signs of a child ready to read?- Does your child pretend to read books, ask you what words say, attempt to sound out letters in words, know words are devised of letters and that spaces indicate new words? Has your child told you they want to learn to read?
- Start and stop when your child is eager- Beginning reading is hard. Consistent practice in small chunks of time works best. Your child should enjoy the reading process and be within their frustration threshold.
- Use repetitive simple beginning reading books - Allow your child to select an easy reader that can be completed in one sitting of 5-10 minutes. Research suggests choice is important in reading motivation.
- Picture walk- Predict and preview each page in a book. Guide new readers’ understanding of how illustrations provide text clues.
- Model- Do an initial read through of a beginning reading book pointing to each word with your finger.
- Guide them- Help your child read the story on their own assisting them with difficult words in context. Provide mini lessons on difficult phonic concepts such as the silent e and long vowel sound.
- Review and discuss- Ask story questions related to vocabulary, connecting the text to your child’s experiences, and to check for basic reading comprehension.
- Write- Have your child share as you transcribe or bravely attempt to write their thoughts on characters, problems, situations and their experiences with each story.
- Review high frequency words- Review words such as; a, the, and, this… however you see fit.
Consistency- Work daily through these steps whenever possible
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Dr. Erika Burton has been a teacher for over 15 years. She founded Stepping Stones Together to provide parents with an easy-to-use and reasonably priced online reading program to help parents instill a love for reading with children ages 3-7. In 2005, Burton co-founded Orion’s Mind, an Educational Company with an overarching mission to close the educational achievement gap in Chicago.
