Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

Reading Tips for Parents of Preschoolers

By: Reading Rockets (2008)

Read early and read often. The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child! The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.

Other Parent Tip Sheets

These tips for parents of preschoolers are also available as a one-page handout. Click below to:

Download in English (60K PDF)*

A five-page handout is also available in the following languages:

Spanish (942K PDF)*
Arabic (942K PDF)*
Traditional Chinese (942K PDF)*
Haitian Creole (942K PDF)*
Hmong (942K PDF)*
Korean (942K PDF)*
Navajo (578K PDF)*
Russian (942K PDF)*
Tagalog (942K PDF)*
Vietnamese (942K PDF)*

Find these and other downloadable tips and guides in our Guides section.

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. For example, "Look at that airplane! Those are the wings of the plane. Why do you think they are called wings?"

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 awhile 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.

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.

Please be sure to see your child's pediatrician or teacher as soon as possible if you have concerns about your child's language development, hearing, or sight.

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Find out why early intervention is the key to a struggling reader's success in this PBS show called 'Empowering Parents.' Go to store.

Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project that offers research-based and best-practice information on teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. It is an educational service of public television station WETA in Washington, D.C.

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