Three Pre-Reading Skills to Look For PLUS a Bonus Skill Every Reader Needs

Learning to read actually begins before your child is born, but that’s likely not the answer you are looking for. You are probably wondering what is the best age for teaching them to read. 

We’ll answer that in a moment, but first let’s define reading readiness. This term is used to describe when a child has acquired the knowledge and skills necessary for learning to read. 

Children develop readiness for reading at different ages. Your child is unique. They will reach milestones based on their own abilities and interests. Some children are highly active and prefer to learn through physical activity. Other children enjoy learning through quieter activities. You know your child best, so trust your instincts. Use what you know about your child’s interests and abilities to help them develop reading readiness.  

Now, back to the question: When should my child begin learning to read? 

There is no exact age for when a child is ready to begin learning to read. The good news is that you can begin right now to prepare them to become a strong reader. Here are three areas to focus on:

1. Developing an interest in letters and words
2. Hearing and playing with sounds in words 
3. Understanding how books work 

These basic skills are needed for learning to read. If you have already been doing activities with your child to gain these skills, then they have already begun learning to read. 

How can I help my child develop an interest in letters and words? 

Your child may already be curious about letters and written words. They might recognize familiar logos, signs, or their own name in print. They might even ask questions like, "What does that word say?" or point to letters and ask about them. 

You can spark an interest in letters and words by tuning into their natural curiosity. Talk about letters and words and explain how they work. Play games, read books, repeat sounds, make chains of rhyming words, and use bigger words to expand their vocabulary. Show your child how to spell their name and talk about the sounds the letters make. 

Our Alphabites Game Pack is a great way to introduce your child to letter shapes, sounds, and words through playful learning games. Hearing sounds in words and connecting sounds to letters are the most important skills your child needs to learn to read.

How can I help my child learn Phonemic Awareness?

Your child might notice and play with the sounds in spoken language. They might be able to identify rhyming words, recognize the first sounds in words (like bat starting with /b/), or even break simple words into sounds (like separating dog into /d/ /o/ /g/).

We call this phonemic awareness. It simply means the ability to hear the individual sounds that spoken words are made of. 

When we speak, the sounds and words flow together into a smooth stream of speech. To read and write, your child needs to be able to hear the individual sounds in words and connect them to alphabet letters.

You can help your child tune in to individual sounds in speech by stretching out words and counting the sounds (sssssuuuuunnn for sun - 3 sounds, shhheeeep - 3 sounds), saying a word and asking what sound comes first (/m/ in mat), and saying sounds to blend together (/p/ /a/ /n/ blend to say pan). 

Being playful with letter sounds helps your child tune in to the individual sounds that blend together into words. Connecting sounds to the letters that represent them is the key to learning the alphabetic code and becoming a strong, confident reader. 

How can I help my child develop an interest in books and how they work? 

Reading with your child is one of the most important activities you can do to spark an interest in learning to read. There are so many wonderful, durable books for babies that make reading a joyful, bonding experience. 

Babies and toddlers should be surrounded with books that they can hold and look at. Don’t worry if they become ripped or worn. Just tape them back together and encourage them to enjoy their little library. 

Through shared reading, your child will learn that books have a front cover and a back cover, and we turn the pages one at a time from front to back. They will learn that pictures can be real or imaginary; we read the words to find out what the book is about. They will learn that words have spaces between them, words form sentences, we read from left to right, and punctuation tells us how to read sentences. These are called print concepts and are necessary for learning to read. 

To see if your child understands how a book works, hand it to them upside down with the back cover on top. As they develop an understanding of print concepts, they will be able to turn the book around so it is in a position to open it to begin reading. Gently show them how to do this. It will take time and practice.

When you read together, point to the words and talk about the pictures and ideas. Connect what’s in the book to their life experiences. (Look, they are building a snowman. Remember when we made a snowman in the backyard last winter.) 

Surrounding your child with books, reading to them, and modeling reading your own books will show your child that reading is a pleasurable experience that opens a world of possibilities.

Shared reading will help your child develop an interest in learning to read. It also increases their exposure to more complex words that are not used in everyday conversations. The rich language found in books helps your child build background knowledge and develop a broad vocabulary. 

Oh yes, and about that Bonus Skill. It’s called motivation. If you want your child to learn to read, it has to be playful and fun. Our Help! My Kid Hates Reading post is filled with child friendly ways to make reading a joyful adventure.   

Summary

So if you are asking the question: When should my child start learning to read? The answer is NOW. Becoming a strong reader can take 3-4 years, so you’ll want to spark an interest in letters, sounds, and words, as soon as you can. This will help your child build the skills they need for reading.   

Learning to read begins before birth when your child is surrounded by the sounds of language. It continues through early childhood when you speak and read with them, and becomes the spark for becoming a reader. When you help them connect the sounds of speech to the letters they see in print, they will soon be decoding words all on their own.

Learning to read should be a joyful, positive experience that your child looks forward to accomplishing. Encourage an interest in books and use the fun multisensory games in the Alphabites Game Pack to motivate your child to become a strong reader. 

Sources

Beecher, C. C., & Van Pay, C. K. (2021, February). Small talk: A community research collaboration to increase parental provision of language to children. In Child & youth care forum (Vol. 50(1), 13–38). Springer US. . 

Brady, S. (2020). A 2020 perspective on research findings on alphabetics (phoneme awareness and phonics): Implications for instruction. The Reading League Journal, 1(3), 20-28.

Nation, K., Dawson, N. J., & Hsiao, Y. (2022). Book language and its implications for children’s language, literacy, and development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 31(4), 375-380.