5 Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read Before School

Starting school can be stressful for students and parents. Give everyone confidence and help your child learn to read for success in the classroom with these tips from Osceola Reads.

Read Aloud to Your Child Daily

Children learn by example. Even by reading 15 minutes a day to your child, they will hear 1,800,000 words per year and will have read 851 hours by sixth grade. Plus, you will instill a love for reading in young children (and any teacher will love you for that). Footsteps2Brilliance has a great selection of books to read with your child, including the following libraries:

• Nursery Rhymes
• Animal Alphabet (STEM series)
• Aesop's Fables

Use Tech Time as Teaching Time

Every teacher will agree that having a book in hand is best, but sometimes when families are on the go, technology is the only option. When this is the case, utilizing free apps can help your child learn to read is always the way to go! Programs such as Footsteps2Brilliance provide students with the opportunity to learn phonemic awareness, sight words, word families, and other reading skills at their level.

Visit Your Local Library

Whether you're looking to check out books or participate in the many reading programs and events the Osceola Library System has to offer, your local library is a great place to visit. This community staple has parent-child storytimes, toddler programs, and group activities, as well as books and other materials to borrow.

Make Your Daily Errands Fun

Working on your store list? Let your child write their own. Heading grocery shopping? Have an ABC scavenger hunt down the aisles. Family beach trip scheduled? Write letters in the sand. Learning can happen anywhere and be entertaining for the whole family. Here are some more ideas on how to incorporate reading into everyday tasks.

Being a Reading Role Model Will Help Your Child Learn to Read

Children model what they see happening around them, so let them see you reading. Curl up on the couch with a magazine, grab a book (instead of your phone) while riding passenger in the car, or lounge on the beach with a new read. Your child wants the toys they see other kids playing with on YouTube. Why not make them want to pick up a book and read instead?

Looking for even more ways to get your child reading? Log on to Footsteps2Brilliance today!