Reading is one of the most difficult but yet important thing to learn. I know personally I struggled very hard with it when I was younger. I wanted to make sure and do my best to prevent my children from struggling so hard. I have found these tips to be very useful and helpful in teaching Zoey O and even Carly Jo some basic reading skills. 

■ Read together every day.  Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.

■ Give everything a name. Build your child’s vocabulary by talking about interesting words and objects.

■ Say how much you enjoy reading. Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her. Talk about “story time” as the favorite part of your day.

■ Read with fun in your voice. Read to your child with humor and expression. Use different voices. Ham it up!

■ Know when to stop. Put the book away for a while if your child loses interest or is having trouble paying attention.

■ Be interactive. Discuss what’s happening in the book, point out things on the page, and ask questions.

■ Read it again and again. Go ahead and read your child’s favorite book for the 100th time!

■ Talk about writing, too. Mention to your child how we read from left to right and how words are separated by  spaces. ( A good rule in writing is one finger length space in between words.)

■ Point out print everywhere. Talk about the written words you see in the world around you. Ask your child to find a new  word on each outing.

■ Get your child evaluated. See your child’s pediatrician or teacher as soon as possible if you have concerns about your child’s language development, hearing, or sight.

I think it’s extremely important to encourage reading to be fun more than a chore. Carly Jo LOVES looking at her “book-ies”. I love her passion that she has for books. She never goes anywhere with out a book in hand. Granted she’s two but I hope with these tips I can fuel her passion in books even more as she gets older! 

Do you have a tip to encourage reading in your preschooler?