How to Teach Your Child to Read: 3 Easy Steps

Not all kids are ready to learn to read before kindergarten, but many are. No parent should feel pressured to have a child start reading at a young age. It is important that you wait until your child is ready. Please keep in mind, as well, that the most important thing to do to help your children advance in language skills when they are young is to read to them. Reading to a child is hugely beneficial for vocabulary and future reading and writing skills. So I strongly suggest keeping your focus on reading to your children, even if you start teaching them to read on their own.

Can the child . . .

• sing the alphabet with no help?
• sit and remain engaged for 15 minutes or longer while being read to?
• retell stories and answer questions about a story?
• hold a book and turn the pages the right way?

But perhaps the most important thing is this: Is your child interested and eager to learn to read?

I firmly believe that children should not be pushed to start reading at a young age if they are not ready or interested. Please do not push your child to learn how to read early so that others will think your child is smart. Brilliant children start reading at many different ages!

When a child is ready to read, teaching a typical child to read is actually pretty easy and simple. Here are three simple steps to teaching your child to read.