As a parent, you know that there is no greater joy than spending time with your child. You can bond over activities like playing games or reading books.
As a parent, you also know that there is no greater responsibility than raising a child who will become an independent adult someday.
One way to help ensure your child’s success in adulthood is through literacy. Children who are taught to read early and often develop better comprehension skills than those who don’t read as often or as early on in their lives. Luckily for all of us, there are ways we can help our children develop these skills while also having fun together.
Play word games
Word games are a great way for kids to learn new words and practice reading, spelling and pronunciation skills. Some examples of word games include:
Try some D.I.Y
Make a book of your child’s favourite things. Have your child pick out the things they love best and create an entire book about them, using pictures and words to tell people about their favourites. They might write about their favourite toy or explain what it feels like to hold a baby kitten. Encourage them to make it as detailed as possible.
Take mundane tasks and make them fun by involving them
If you have access to newspapers or other reading material with lots of text (such as magazines), read those aloud with your children so that they can hear how words sound when spoken by an adult or older sibling; this will help prepare them for reading later on down the road.
Start a regular story time
Start a regular story time in your home. Children need to hear stories on a daily basis and the best way to do that is by reading with them. Choose books that are age appropriate and make it fun! Read with expression, ask questions about the story, and let them join in on choosing the next story.
Let them read to you (taking turns)
Reading to your child is a great way to spend time together and improve literacy. It’s also a great way to build a relationship with your child. Reading books that are appropriate for their age is important, so they understand what’s happening in the story, but don't be afraid of reading picture books that are above their reading level.
Reading should happen every day, not just at bedtime or when they have homework. Make it fun by changing up where you read and what happens in the story.
