If you are concerned that your child lives a good life, then make sure they can read. The better children read, the more options they have for living a fulfilling life. Without the ability to read fluently, any successes they have will come with struggle. It is a parent’s role to ensure that their children read and not one that can be passed off onto the school system. The schools are there to assist you, not to do your job.
CNBC recently published an articles entitled, “Kids who learn this 1 skill early on are highly successful in life: They get ‘better jobs’ and ‘earn more money,’ says expert. The author, Maya Payne Smart, is the author of “Reading for our Lives: The Urgency of Early Literacy and the Action Plan to Help your Child.” In it she gives 5 things parents who raise successful readers do differently early on. (you can see the original post here: Kids who learn this 1 skill early on are highly successful in life
The first thing she list is to treat baby babble as conversation. As they make their early sounds, respond with real words. Its never too early to start the child hearing full words. Engage them as if they were in a real conversation. This is according to Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child (Serve and Return: Back-and-forth exchanges).
Next, she says to ask lots of questions–and wait for answers. When the child is very young, simple questions, such as “who is that?” and “what do you see?” can be powerful. They help the child build vocabulary and gain comprehension, necessary for gaining the insights they’ll need in school.
The third thing is to talk about letter sounds, not just letter names and shapes. Point out letters, such as the S in the Stop sign. But to really help your child, talk about the sounds the letters make. That S in Stop, for instance, makes the sound of “sss” as in bus. Or, the letter ‘a’ which sounds like the beginning of “ate.” This single lesson teaches children to sound out words they don’t know and gives them the tools they need to become great readers.
Then, read them rhymes. Dr. Seuss is great for this. Teach them tongue twisters and silly words. This will help them match sounds to letters as it teaches them to listen carefully and repeat clearly.
To the extent possible, read to and with the child many times each day. It can be for a few minutes or it may be when you can both relax and enjoy a fun story. Finding time to read to your child will help you build a more intimate and lasting relationship with your child.
Most people aren’t able to leave their children a fortune but they are able to give their child the tools they need to live a successful and fulfilling life. And one of the most useful of those tools with be the skill of being a fluent reader.