There are activities that don’t look like reading at all, but they set the stage for a child to become a reader. These pre-reading behaviors may appear spontaneously through a child’s own observation and mimicry or an adult can encourage them.
Look for and encourage the following:
1 – Awareness of print on signs, labels, packaging, etc. Kids can know that a sign says “McDonald’s” before they can actually read the letters
2 – Sound manipulation games, think “Hannah Hannah banana, banana-fana, fo-fana, me-my-mo-mana, Hannah”
3 – Awareness of rhyme
4 – Concepts about print – Does the child know which way is up on a book? Do they have a sense that the pages turn one at a time and always in the same direction? As you read, point to the words so they can see you are reading from left to right.
5 – Sound discrimination – “Max is eating a muffin. Mmmmax…mmmmuffin…. those start with the same sound.”
When a child demonstrates these behaviors and abilities, they may be ready to learn to read. If not, work activities like these into your daily routine to help guide them in the right direction.
Continue reading aloud to the child. If children learn that reading is an enjoyable experience through read-alouds, they will be motivated to learn the skill themselves.
Source: TheClassRoomKey