University of Wisconsin - Extension

We've all heard of 3-year-old geniuses who are reading, or 18-month-olds who can recite their ABC's. But families don't need to drill their toddlers and preschoolers with flash cards and worksheets in order to promote reading success.

"Talking to your child, reading aloud, making up stories and singing together, scribbling with crayons and looking for print on signs and at stores are all wonderful ways to encourage pre-reading skills in children under age 6," says Joan LeFebvre, University of Wisconsin-Extension family living agent serving Vilas, Forest and Florence counties.

"You can begin to read to your baby when she is just an infant, even if she loses interest before you finish the story. Pointing to pictures and exposing your child to concepts and illustrations in books is a wonderful way to get them interested in reading. They are also learning important skills, like how to hold a book, how to turn pages, and that we read from left to right."

LeFebvre says the research is clear that children who are the most successful readers have been read to a lot. Parents don't have to read story books. They can also read signs on streets and in stores, on the sides of trucks and buses. They can read the labels and logos on food products and on menus.

LeFebvre says children learn about print by writing. But instead of drilling children on alphabet letters, have them dictate stories that you write down. Typically, children begin writing by first drawing. They may then begin to scribble what they call words. Your child may even "read" to you what he has scribbled. Gradually, your child will begin to mix real letters with scribbling.

Eventually, children will use their knowledge of sounds to start writing. Many children begin by writing one letter that stands for a word. Later on, in elementary school, they will learn to spell words as adults do.

LeFebvre has these tips to encourage pre-reading skills with your preschooler: Stop frequently when reading to your child to help him make sense of the story. Ask him to name pictures, complete the sentence or predict what will come next.

Be patient about repeating the same story over and over. Children may be able to begin seeing patterns and figure out how reading works when requesting the same story repeatedly.

Set aside a regular time to read to your child every day. Reading aloud is one of the most important ways you can contribute to your child's education. Choose books your child enjoys. Set up a special reading area with ample lighting and a comfortable place to sit.

Talk to your child every day about things that are happening in your life. Remind her of past experiences. Use short, simple sentences, and ask lots of questions.

Expose your child to books. Keep books in your house and visit the library frequently.

Help your child see that reading is an important part of your life by reading newspapers, books and magazines in front of your child. Point out how you read street signs or recipes.

Have paper, pencils, markers and crayons available to your child.

Show children lots of uses for writing - like grocery lists, notes to each other, and letters to relatives.

Provide a notebook for your child to use for drawing or scribbling.

Display your child's art work and scribblings in your home, on the refrigerator or wall. This shows you take his efforts seriously and appreciate them.