| Looking for the best ways to help improve your | | | | develop their writing skills on their own. |
| child's early reading skills? Want to give your child | | | | Most children will start pretending to write long |
| a head start on their education by helping them to | | | | before they actually understand what letters are. |
| become an early reader? Here are the top five | | | | Once you notice your child doing this, it's a good |
| tips for helping your child to increase his or her | | | | sign that he or she is ready to start learning to |
| early reading skills, and get a head start on their | | | | write their name. |
| education: | | | | Four - Teach Your Child Phonics |
| One - Use Flashcards With Text and Pictures | | | | One of the biggest mistake that parents, and |
| One of the best things you can do to help | | | | even some teachers, make is failing to teach their |
| increase your child's early reading skills is to | | | | children phonics. Teaching phonics is actually a |
| purchase or create flashcards which incorporate | | | | much simpler process than many would have you |
| both pictures and text. By reinforcing your child's | | | | to believe. It's no more than teaching your child |
| recognition of pictures with the word that | | | | the sounds that individual letters and letter |
| corresponds to it, you can help them to better | | | | combinations make. |
| understand that words mean something - that | | | | By teaching your child what each letter sounds |
| they represent something more than squiggles on | | | | like, and teaching them to sound out words as |
| a page. | | | | they read, you will be giving them a tool which will |
| Two - Make Reading a Family Event | | | | help them throughout each level of their |
| With all of the new toys on the market these | | | | education. |
| days that will read to your children for you, it's | | | | Five - Be Consistent |
| easy for parents to forget that their children need | | | | If you're serious about increasing your child's early |
| to actually be read to on a repeated basis by a | | | | reading skills, then the most important thing you |
| live person. | | | | can do is remember to be consistent. Children |
| Not only should you make a point to read to your | | | | need repetition in order to solidify the sounds of |
| child on a regular basis, you should also get your | | | | words and letters in their heads, as well as the |
| whole family involved in the process. Taking a | | | | concepts that words create. |
| family outing to the library is a great way to get | | | | By making sure that you make reading a part of |
| your child excited about reading. | | | | their daily life, you are helping to reinforce these |
| Three - Start Early Teaching Them to Write | | | | concepts in your child's mind, and allowing them to |
| Even though your children may not yet | | | | grasp more difficult concepts earlier than their |
| understand the purpose of letters, it's never too | | | | peers who do not experience this repetition. |
| early to start teaching them their alphabet. | | | | Above all else, the most important thing to |
| Children love learning to write their names, so | | | | remember if you want to increase your child's |
| teaching them to print early is a great way to | | | | early reading skills is to make the reading process |
| enhance their reading skills. | | | | fun. If your child sees that you enjoy reading, |
| Even if they don't understand the full concept of | | | | both to them and to yourself, they will take a |
| the letters, they are easily able to recall the fact | | | | greater interest in the process and learn much |
| that certain letters mean their name if you work | | | | more quickly. |
| with them long enough. Children will begin to | | | | |