children be ready for reading by reading to them and exposing them to children’s books. Children love to “pretend” read their books. Encourage this behavior and praise them for their efforts. This will reinforce what is soon to come…young children make the rules during this time. Let them take the lead when experiencing their books. At times, interject and point out a few things they are able to notice, such as the pictures and the story’s meaning. WheAre they ready to read? Parents often feel it’s important for their children to enter Kindergarten already reading books. If that were the case, then we wouldn’t need Kindergarten, and there would be a lot of Kindergarten and First Grade teachers out of a job.

Although most parents have the right intent, having children read before they are ready may cause more damage than good. According to experts, setting a good foundation is crucial in a child’s success in reading and writing. Before your child opens a book, notice if he/she is displaying some of these indicators that may show reading readiness.

* Is he conversing in full sentences?

* Does she have some knowledge of the ABC’s? (I say some, you don’t need to know all of your ABC’s in order to learn how to read)

* Can he pick a book and open it right-side up?

* Does she know what letters look like?

* Does he have good visual memory? (Can he remember what he sees?)

* Does he know the difference between picture and print?

* Does she show interest in learning how to read? (Does she ask: what does this say? Tell a relevant story as if reading?)

* Can he hear a pattern in a story? (Test your child. Say: “I like bananas.” “I like apples.” “I like toys.” Now have your child say something next. If he says, “I like cars.”, then he got it! But if he says something like “I play here.”, then he didn’t hear the pattern.)

These are just a few major indicators for reading readiness in children. Each child is unique and other indicators may appear when a child is ready. Most children are ready between the ages of 4.5 to 6 years. It all depends on the types of experiences each child is exposed to. Experiences include preschool and family attitudes, values, and environment.

In the meantime, help your children be ready for reading by reading to them and exposing them to children’s books. Children love to “pretend” read their books. Encourage this behavior and praise them for their efforts. This will reinforce what is soon to come…young children make the rules during this time. Let them take the lead when experiencing their books. At times, interject and point out a few things they are able to notice, such as the pictures and the story’s meaning. When

’s success in reading and writing. Before your child opens a book, notice if he/she is displaying some of these indicators that may show reading readiness.

* Is he conversing in full sentences?

* Does she have some knowledge of the ABC’s? (I say some, you don’t need to know all of your ABC’s in order to learn how to read)

* Can he pick a book and open it right-side up?

* Does she know what letters look like?

* Does he have good visual memory? (Can he remember what he sees?)

* Does he know the difference between picture and print?

* Does she show interest in learning how to read? (Does she ask: what does this say? Tell a relevant story as if reading?)

* Can he hear a pattern in a story? (Test your child. Say: “I like bananas.” “I like apples.” “I like toys.” Now have your child say something next. If he says, “I like cars.”, then he got it! But if he says something like “I play here.”, then he didn’t hear the pattern.)

These are just a few major indicators for reading readiness in children. Each child is unique and other indicators may appear when a child is ready. Most children are ready between the ages of 4.5 to 6 years. It all depends on the types of experiences each child is exposed to. Experiences include preschool and family attitudes, values, and environment.

In the meantime, help your children be ready for reading by reading to them and exposing them to children’s books. Children love to “pretend” read their books. Encourage this behavior and praise them for their efforts. This will reinforce what is soon to come…young children make the rules during this time. Let them take the lead when experiencing their books. At times, interject and point out a few things they are able to notice, such as the pictures and the story’s meaning. Whe

ood visual memory? (Can he remember what he sees?)

* Does he know the difference between picture and print?

* Does she show interest in learning how to read? (Does she ask: what does this say? Tell a relevant story as if reading?)

* Can he hear a pattern in a story? (Test your child. Say: “I like bananas.” “I like apples.” “I like toys.” Now have your child say something next. If he says, “I like cars.”, then he got it! But if he says something like “I play here.”, then he didn’t hear the pattern.)

These are just a few major indicators for reading readiness in children. Each child is unique and other indicators may appear when a child is ready. Most children are ready between the ages of 4.5 to 6 years. It all depends on the types of experiences each child is exposed to. Experiences include preschool and family attitudes, values, and environment.

In the meantime, help your children be ready for reading by reading to them and exposing them to children’s books. Children love to “pretend” read their books. Encourage this behavior and praise them for their efforts. This will reinforce what is soon to come…young children make the rules during this time. Let them take the lead when experiencing their books. At times, interject and point out a few things they are able to notice, such as the pictures and the story’s meaning. Whe

something like “I play here.”, then he didn’t hear the pattern.)

These are just a few major indicators for reading readiness in children. Each child is unique and other indicators may appear when a child is ready. Most children are ready between the ages of 4.5 to 6 years. It all depends on the types of experiences each child is exposed to. Experiences include preschool and family attitudes, values, and environment.

In the meantime, help your children be ready for reading by reading to them and exposing them to children’s books. Children love to “pretend” read their books. Encourage this behavior and praise them for their efforts. This will reinforce what is soon to come…young children make the rules during this time. Let them take the lead when experiencing their books. At times, interject and point out a few things they are able to notice, such as the pictures and the story’s meaning. Whe

children be ready for reading by reading to them and exposing them to children’s books. Children love to “pretend” read their books. Encourage this behavior and praise them for their efforts. This will reinforce what is soon to come…young children make the rules during this time. Let them take the lead when experiencing their books. At times, interject and point out a few things they are able to notice, such as the pictures and the story’s meaning. When they’re ready to learn more, they’ll tell you. Forcing too much beyond what children can understand may backfire and leave a bad taste in their mouths about reading. Young children are like flowers. If we water them too much, they can shrivel up. But if we take our time to care for them, and give them just the right amount of water, they’ll blossom into something beautiful!