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The Best Way to Get Your Child Started in Reading and Writing

Reading and writing are two of the most important skills that a child can learn. They provide a foundation for future academic success, and they also help to develop cognitive skills. In this blog post, we will discuss the best way to get your child started in reading and writing. This blog post will offer tips on how to make these activities fun and engaging for your child, and also provide some helpful resources.




1) Start with phonics

Phonics can be an effective and enjoyable way to help your child learn the building blocks of reading and writing. Phonics helps children recognize the sounds of letters by building phonemic awareness, which is the ability to identify and manipulate individual speech sounds. When it comes to teaching phonics, there are many approaches that you can take. For example, whole language emphasizes emergent literacy while synthetic phonics focuses on sounding out words. You may also choose to use a mixture of both methods.

Start by introducing your child to basic letter-sound relationships such as ‘a’ makes the ‘aaah’ sound. Provide plenty of activities such as word matching games, blending exercises and letter recognition activities for your child to practice their skills. As your child progresses, introduce more complex concepts like digraphs (two letter combinations) and syllables (word parts). Incorporate fun activities into each lesson such as writing stories with specific sound targets or creating a simple song about the letters in their name.


2) Read with your child

Reading together is a great way to promote reading and writing. Make it an enjoyable experience by selecting a book that appeals to your child’s interests or is appropriate for their age and development level. Take turns reading pages, or allow your child to read while you follow along. Ask questions as they go, such as 'what do you think will happen next in the story?' or 'can you name three words that rhyme with ‘cat’?'. Asking questions helps build comprehension skills and encourages conversation about the text.


3) Provide writing activities

Writing can be a fun way for children to express themselves. Start by providing simple tasks like tracing letters or lines. Once your child is more comfortable, introduce activities like filling out a shopping list or writing a story. Encourage them to draw pictures that illustrate the story and even add details like descriptions of characters or settings.


4) Use visual aids

Using visual aids such as pictures and videos can help to make reading and writing more engaging for your child. For example, you can use a video of an animal to teach a lesson on phonics or a series of pictures and individual alphabet letters to encourage creative story-writing.

In conclusion, reading and writing are important skills for any child to learn. The tips outlined in this blog post can help you get your child started on their reading and writing journey. Providing fun activities such as phonics games, reading books together and engaging in creative writing tasks will make these activities enjoyable while still teaching valuable skills.