Reading is an important academic development for private kindergarten students. But reading is not limited to school studies. The steps that parents take to assist children in achieving a fondness for reading are a continuation of the educational process that will pay off in the years to come.
1. Adequate Access
Providing a prepared environment for children is just as important at home as in the Montessori kindergarten. Even if you aren't able to provide a separate space, you can still do things such as putting a selection of appropriate reading material on the lower levels of a bookshelf, hanging pictures and artwork at your child's eye level and providing an area where everything is built to the scale of a child.
2. Practice Everywhere
The opportunity to read is all around us. Box labels, TV screens, and billboards are all opportunities for a child to practice reading, build a stronger vocabulary, and learn how language is entwined with everything they do. Practice helps children refine their skills, and often encourages them to read more.
3. Role Modeling
When your children observe you reading a book, they infer that reading is an appropriate activity. In fact, you may notice children imitating you by pretending to read books or magazines that are far above their reading ability solely because they have witnessed you reading the same material. When parents spend a little time each day reading with their kids it shows them that they are excited by reading as well.
4. Word Play
Reading begins with individual words, not full sentences. Play word games with your young children that introduce them to new words, and explore how the words are spelled, pronounced, and used in sentences. Simple games like Word of the Day are a good place to start and help children develop a strong vocabulary.
5. Let's Find Out
Children have a myriad of questions about everything from animals to why it rains, and each question is an opportunity to engage them in reading. Help your child look up the answers to their questions, and go over the answers with them. Once a child understands that books and words hold the answers to some of their most pressing questions, they will become more interested in using books and developing a larger vocabulary.
Childhood development is a long-term investment in children's futures-- and the communities in which they live. When parents take steps to assist the ability to read, the results are children who are more engaged in their own education and more interested in the magic and mystery found in books.
