Monthly tips for parents
Emergent Readers: Look! That’s My Letter!
By: Reading Rockets
Even the youngest child is somewhere on the path to becoming a reader. As a parent, it's important to support your child's efforts in a positive way and help him or her along the reading path. Here's a little information about emergent readers, and a few pointers to keep in mind.
Even the youngest child is somewhere on the path to becoming a reader. As a parent, it's important to support your child's efforts in a positive way and help him or her along the reading path. Here's a little information about emergent readers, and a few pointers to keep in mind.
An emergent reader:
- knows some letters of the alphabet
- understands that writing conveys a message
- uses "scribble" writing when writing
- may recognize some words or letters in their environment (words like "stop" or "exit" or letters like the giant "K" signifying Kmart or the golden arches "M" signifying McDonald's)
When reading with an emergent reader:
- Model finger-point reading. That means to follow the words with your finger from left to right as you read them. As your emergent reader starts to read, they will learn to do the same thing.
- Encourage "reading" or "pretend reading." This reading from memory provides practice with retelling and practice navigating books correctly.
- Talk about the story. When your child is finished with a book, be sure to talk about what happened in the story, and maybe "re-read" favorite parts. Talk about any interesting words or new concepts.
- Let them know how proud you are! By sharing a book with a child, you're sharing the joys and excitement of reading.
- Download this article as a PDF.
- View this article in Spanish.
Reading Rockets (2007)
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Dr. Joanne Meier
I love to see these strategies and ways to continue to support my 2 year old reader. She loves to say" that's for me" when she sees the letter S for her first name. We read and also tell her stories, I get to see her read to her her toys and retell the story to herself while re flipping through a book. This makes me feel great as a parent to know that I am on the right path to provide for her ongoing reading skills.