Children all go through the same basic stages in reading development. The information below gives you a simplified version of these stages. As you read about the various stages you can learn what you, as a parent, can expect from your student and some practical ideas to support and encourage your student along the reading trail. You will soon be able to find information about writing, speech and study skills. Have fun exploring the world of reading.

Listening Baby Babble

The foundations for reading begin before a baby is born. Before babies are born we know that they can hear voices, music, and many other environmental sounds. When a baby comes into the world we are amazed that they turn their head towards someone when they talk. As parents we begin to have "conversations" with the baby. We tell them about how their diapers smell or what we are going to do that day. As we begin to talk to the baby and the baby speaks back to us we are preparing that baby to enter the world of conversation. This is a great time to begin to read to your baby.

Close Approximations

As our babies grow and mature the "conversations" we have with them become more involved. They may not have any words yet, but we continue to talk to them and they really have developed the knack of "chatting" to us when there is a break in the conversation or when we ask them a question. Then one day we notice that that sound they are making sounds a lot like "mom" or "dad". Each time they make that same sound we reward them with praise and attention. The more they utter that same sound the more we repeat the word correctly for them the closer they make the sound to what we are saying. Pretty soon they are actually saying the word that we thought they were trying to say. This is positive reinforcement. Our baby has just learned how to elicit positive praise from us. They will continue to add more words to their vocabulary in order to receive more positive reinforcement until they realize the intrinsic positive rewards for being able to communicate.

 

Understanding That Print Carries Meaning

When we read to our children they think we are amazing. You see, they think that the pictures carry all of the meaning of the text. When we read they think we read the pictures. It is amazing to our children that we say the same thing every time we read a page. This is why it is important to place your finger under the text when you read. Soon your child will realize that you are reading those funny marks under the pictures. This is how they begin to develop the understanding that the text carries the meaning.

 

Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness has nothing to do with letters and the sounds they make or phonics. Phonemic awareness is the ability to play with sounds. It is the ability to rhyme words: fat, sat, mat…. It is also the ability to say each sound in a word slowly. In order to do this your child would be able to say the word tree: t-r-e. It is also the ability to drop sounds from words or say mat but don’t say m. (at) Why is this such an important skill? Well beginning readers need to be able to hold words in their heads and play with them before they are able to read what is on the page. They also need to be able to hear all of the sounds in a word in order to be able to spell the word. Research is being done which indicates that a child’s ability to manipulate sounds is the greatest indicator of future reading success.

 

Concepts of Print

At this stage a child begins to look at the pictures in books and tell their own story. They know where the book begins and ends they also know the correct way to hold a book and all about the cover.

 

There is more information on this stage if you look at the Reading Continuum under Preconventional.

 

Linking Sounds With Letters

This is phonics. Learning the letter name and what that letter says is a very important part of Kindergarten and First Grade. This is also the time that teachers stress how to write letters correctly. Be sure to check with your child’s teacher about the program that they use. Although phonics is VERY important, children should still be experience interesting literature and fun stories. Be sure to keep reading with them.

 

There is more information on this stage if you look at the Reading Continuum under Preconventional. and Emerging.

Manipulating Sounds & Letters Understanding Whole Words