It's no secret that learning to read is critical for a child's success in school and throughout life. Because of that, we should be teaching our children the foundations of reading well before they reach school age. How do you do that? With a little guidance and a lot of love.

Kids take their cues from you and the other adults around them. Number one, your children need to develop strong speaking and listening skills in order to be a successful reader. Without an understanding of language, they'll never grasp the ideas behind words and sentences.

When you and other adults around your kids encourage them to talk, ask, questions, and use dramatic play, it increases their vocabulary, allows them to hear and practice building sentences, and gives them more knowledge to understand spoken and written language.

There are three skill areas that form the foundation for reading. Kids who develop strong skills in these areas have greater success learning to read:

• Print knowledge -- an understanding of books, letters, and words.
  You should be teaching your children from day one about books. If you read to them, you should place them on you lap in front of the open book so that they can see that the print you're looking at contains a message. The child will also understand that the print is right side up. Following the words and sentences with your finger so that the child understands that you read from left to right and from top to bottom.
  
  
• Beginning writing -- first efforts to use print in a meaningful way.
  When a child learns the alphabet and understands that letter groupings make words, they'll find it easier to understand reading. Teach a child the letters in their name and then how to spell their name. This will help them grasp the concept of reading even tighter. They'll notice that the spaces between words mean something and they'll begin sounding out words.
  
  
• Language awareness -- an understanding of how language works.
  Once a child differentiates individual sounds in a spoken word with different letter sounds, they'll be on their way to reading successfully. It all comes down to practice and experience. Spend enough time talking with your child as well as reading with them. When kids talk about daily tasks and special events, tell stories, sing songs, and scribble, they are laying the groundwork for reading and writing. This will be their greatest preparation.

Why kids have trouble
Why do so many children experience problems learning to read? Many simply do not have enough experiences with language, books, and print. They need more time at home and in their early childhood programs devoted to helping them develop the skills that lead to reading. A lack of developmentally appropriate skill-building at an early age can significantly limit the reading and writing level a child attains.