3 Ways to Help your Kiddo Read with Everyday Tasks

Do you feel like your little one is having a hard time reading? Are you frustrated because you don't know how to help your child develop reading skills? Remember, words are all around us. In every daily activity you do, words make up the task. We have come up with a few simple ways to turn those daily tasks into learning tools for your kiddo.

While in the Car

One of the first tasks we do each morning is drive. Driving your little one to preschool or a babysitter on your way to work is the perfect time to have a conversation with your child! Why not use this chance to help expand their vocabulary? Talk through words like car and train, eventually introducing compound words such as stoplight and driveway. Next thing you know, you'll be driving along discussing more complex things like sirens and traffic with your toddler. Phonics is a very effective way of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters. Point out traffic signs and encourage your child to make the sound of each letter then work your way up to spelling it out entirely. These activities will get their brains thinking early in the morning and help them become more aware of their surroundings.

While They Help in the Kitchen

Another everyday task that can include your child(ren) is cooking dinner. We get it! After a long day at the office, cooking dinner is sometimes a struggle. But if you can take that time to teach your child about the ingredients you are using in dinner, it can make the process more fun by involving everyone. Making a salad? Have them hand you each item as you add it to the mix. Explain what each vegetable is as you're slicing or chopping it up. Allowing them the opportunity to touch, smell, and see the item further reinforces the connection to the word itself.

When It's Time to Unwind

After a long day of learning and playing, bath time is essential. Use this time to not only get them squeaky clean but also engage their minds in learning their colors, letters, and numbers. Gather some water toys to get them pointing out the colors you call out. Take their shampoo bottle and have them find the letters you have said. Using their fingers (and toes), have them count out loud numbers between 1 and 20. They will want to have bath time all the time once you start making it more fun with these activities.As adults, we take most of these opportunities for granted. They become so routine that most of the time, we don't even pay attention to a street sign, a label during cooking, or the front of a shampoo bottle. But things as simple as these are the perfect way to engage your kiddo and get them on the path to becoming a strong reader.Looking for even more ways to get your child reading? Log on to Footsteps2Brilliance today!