Prime your preschooler through reading and show your love

In this article, you’ll find answers to questions like:

1. How to learn words?
2. How to make it fun?
3. What are some tips?

Reading to your preschooler can help prepare for kindergarten, but it’s also a great way to show your child love and attention. If you spend a few minutes every day with your children and a book, they will remember it their entire lives.

“When my mother read 'The Gingerbread Man' to me, she couldn’t skip anything because I knew all the pages,” says Debbie Battles, former director of Elementary Education at the School District of Palm Beach County. “I still know every word: ‘You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!’ It’s a memory of my mother that I will always have.”

1. HOW TO LEARN WORDS?

Just like Battles’s infatuation with the gingerbread man, children often want to read the same book over and over. You may get sick of it, but children memorize words by their sounds even before they start reading by themselves, Battles says.

Look at picture books together and talk about what you see. Singing songs and reciting nursery rhymes are other ways to learn words by hearing them, says Catherine Tedesco, the school district’s former literacy manager for Elementary Education. Later, when we see words on the page, we remember them from the songs and rhymes: “Three blind mice!”

2. HOW TO MAKE IT FUN?

Words are everywhere — on the bus, in your car, in a store. Teach your child to notice words wherever you find them. You can make anything you do with your child an opportunity to learn new words, Battles says.

Also, let your child see you reading. Go to the library and get a card for everyone in the family. Let your children pick their own books. Plus, the library offers free activities for all ages, such as play groups. Not sure where to start? Visit the Palm Beach County Library System website.

Build reading through your child’s tendencies and interests. “At the zoo, my favorite part was seeing the monkeys,” Battles says. “Let your child dictate a simple sentence. It’s their words.”

Books and songs are not the only way to learn words. If your children draw, ask them to tell you a story about them. Then you can write words to identify the drawing: “sun,” “house” or “Dad.”

3. WHAT ARE SOME TIPS?

• Set aside a quiet, cozy place to spend a few minutes reading with your child every day.
• Start with picture books and talk about each picture before you read.
• Your child wants to be like you, so let your child see you reading.
• Read with expression and take time to ask your child questions about what you're reading.

SOURCES:

• Debbie Battles, former director of Elementary Education, School District of Palm Beach County
• Catherine Tedesco, former literacy manager of Elementary Education, School District of Palm Beach County