Learning to Read

I will never forget - the joy of watching my children learn to read!

Curious and eager, children are little learning machines. They readily absorb the information around them and want to actively participate in the world of the people they know and love. As we all know, acquiring the skill of reading is fundamental and essential for participation in that world. Giving them an environment rich in print, teaching them basic phonics skills and offering them encouragement and modeling, they will become readers and participate in our world of written words.

Teaching a child to read.

Teaching reading isn't really that hard. Especially, if as parents, we are aware of the range of readiness in our children. Not all children are early readers. If a child begins to read "late" as defined by our current education system, it doesn't mean that they won't become excellent readers. As a child, I was an early reader myself. Attending kindergarten was a disappointment for me because I thought I was going to school to learn, not to play in a playhouse and take naps. However, my early reading as a child did not predict early reading in my own children, as I expected it would. It was my misplaced expectation that threw my family's reading enjoyment off track for a period of time. Oops! Thankfully, we had already chosen to home school and also, fortunately, I was able to pay attention to my child and set my early reading expectations aside. I had to regroup and trust. Our focus was to enjoy words, stories, reading and books with my children.

It worked. A little instruction. Lot's of reading together. They became readers.

Encourage your children to become readers, the basics:

• Read aloud with your children.
• Provide a print rich environment.
• Carve out silent reading times for your family.
• Make sure your children see you reading on your own.
• Explore the places that offer the adventure of reading.

Some of the best reading resources that I am aware of:

Excellent reading resources at Old Schoolhouse Teachers

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