Is Your Child Reading-Ready?
By Andreas Wilson-Späth
How will you know when your child is ready to start reading? It is important to follow their lead and not to pressurise them – they are much more likely to make progress if they’re doing so at their own initiative and while having fun.
If your little one is showing some or all of these signs, you’re well on your way to having a little wordsmith amongst you, and it’s your responsibility as a parent to nurture their interest. Keep them engaged by making reading based activity game oriented, and even offer incentives for advancements they make, creating the association between learning and positive reinforcement.
If you're not a member of Woolworths Littleworld yet, why not find out about the benefits?
There are a number of signs to look out for. Your child is ready to begin their reading journey when they:
- show growing interest in books and stories, and frequently seek out books and other reading material on their own accord;
- are able to remember stories that have been read to them and enjoy retelling them;
- understand that print on pages represents words that have meaning and are related to spoken language;
- are able to participate in word games, playing with the sounds in words, syllables and rhymes;
- increasingly understand the meaning of stories that are read to them;
- have a growing vocabulary;
- know most of the letters of the alphabet and their associated sounds.