When Should Your Child Start To Learn How To Read?

April 1, 2010 - PRLog -- When your child becomes a preschooler, it is usually the time that they will begin to learn to read.  This is an important time for development.  Most kids will start to understand syntax first.  For example, they will learn that the sentences in a book go from the left to right before they understand what combinations of letters will sound like.  The best start to help maximize your child’s development in reading is to help your child and encourage them at each step.  This can be done by exposing them to books and making sure to have a routine of reading to them every day.  Usually it’s a good idea to read to your child before bedtime.  Very important as well is to make reading enjoyable.  When your child sees your excitement while reading they will get excited too and see it as “fun” time.
A child who understands syntax will have an awareness of the written part of writing.  Syntax often begins with the understanding of the structure of a book and how the words and sentences are separated.  When your child was a baby, they held the books upside down, put them in their mouth, tore out pages etc.  As they become a preschooler or toddler they start to understand that a book has a front and back cover and those pages are in sequence and sentences go from left to right.  This is important that they grasp these concepts before they learn to read words and understand sounds.
Semantics are the next area for your toddler to grasp.  This is the ability to recognize words, guess the plot of a story and understand the characters in a book.  It is also where they understand the meaning of a paragraph or part of a book and are able to talk about the story after reading it.  It is also where they develop the ability to substitute words that they have learned.
Phonics is the other important part of a child learning to read.  It is the so called mechanical part of reading.  It is the ability to sound out words and letters and also combine those sounds together.  The ability to differentiate between words that look similar at a glance such as “tin” and “ten” is also a part of this.  In addition, the ability to distinguish words with different letter combinations but with similar sounds is important.
The best advice when your preschooler is ready to start reading is to take it slow and go through the natural progression.  It does not make sense to skip steps and get a child and you frustrated.  Most important thing is to keep it fun.
This article is brought to you by Jumperoos, your indoor playground for today's active kids. Visit us online at http://www.jumperoos.com

# # #

Jumpersoos is Toronto's top indoor kids playground and party center, we cater to kids of all ages. Visit us anytime at http://www.jumperoos.com