Make Sure the Child Sees the Text

 

            Children in preschool and kindergarten need to be read to daily. But it's a mistake to hold the book so that only you can see the words, and your child is elsewhere, staring off into space. The child needs to see the text while listening to the words being decoded.

 

            Think about it: children spend so much time in text-free environments. They listen to other household members and respond, but they don't see the words that they hear and say. They watch television, and while they hear words, they don't see a lot of them written out.

 

            They need to be associating meaning with the visual effects of words on the page, and seeing how words are read from left to right, and pages of text are read from top to bottom, or else they will be at a disadvantage for building a solid vocabulary in the years to come, and might be at higher risk for reading disabilities.

 

            So when you read aloud to your child, sit parallel with the child so that you both can see both the words and the illustrations. It's OK every once in a while to point to certain words, or follow along with your index finger as you read. But don't overdo the "lesson" part of the read-aloud process. The whole idea is to patiently and casually model what reading is all about, and reading is supposed to be fun, not work.

 

            Help your child become familiar with how words look and work . . . and it will be.

 

            By Susan Darst Williams • www.GoBigEd.com • Read to Me 004 • © 2006