Author: Julie Kinney, Young Adult Librarian, Marathon County Public Library
Reading is a developmental process; not every six year old
is ready to learn to read, while some four year olds are. Early reading instruction is something that
most parents do naturally: They read to
their children on a regular basis and invite them to handle books. Most young children pick up that there is a
right way to read a book; going from left to right and up and down. They learn that there is a beginning and an
end. They begin to match pictures with
the words that Mom or Dad say. Some
children memorize a favorite book and most children are delighted to “read” a
book to their parents.
But what happens if you grow up in a family where reading
books to children doesn’t happen?
Unfortunately, those children don’t learn the basics about how books are supposed
to be read. Those children don’t hear Mom and Dad
read or learn how to match pictures to sounds. Inevitably, those kids are at a higher risk for
reading problems down the road.
What can libraries and guardians do to support children on their literacy journey? Read more about building successful readers in the rest of Julie's blog post HERE.
