Many parents are worried that their children should be able to read in kindergarten. This of course is a wonderful goal and many children accomplish it, however it is not a requirement. The most important thing is that your child experiment with reading and writing during the kindergarten year. More than likely your child will learn to read basic stories by the end of the year if he/she did not read before entering kindergarten. Of course, if your child reads before entering kindergarten then he/she will learn even more and read even better.

Preparing Your Child
If you are interested in preparing your child to read before kindergarten or at least helping him understand the basics of reading then there are a few things you can do. The first thing is to teach the alphabet and vowels. Once your child knows the alphabet then you can start working on recognizing the alphabet and the sounds of the different letters. If your child enters kindergarten with this basic knowledge then he will have no problem whatsoever learning to read during the year.

The best way to start is to introduce your child to the alphabet through books. Kids love to have their parents or others read books to them and they will sit quietly and pay attention. If you are going over the alphabet and having your child read the letters after you then you will see him learning and having fun at the same time. Then, make a game out of tracing the letters and coloring them with different colors. Also have your child write his name and teach him the letters in his name. This will all prepare your child for kindergarten and help him understand the basic letters and sounds which in turn will help him learn to read.

There are also lots of educational DVDs that are fun to watch and teach kids all about the alphabet, phonics, reading, and more. You can put one of these DVDs on instead of another cartoon and let your child watch and learn. It will keep him occupied and he will have lots of fun learning about reading and having fun.

You can find other ways to teach your child the alphabet and basics of reading. Whatever seems to work for you and your child will be the best thing to focus on. It might take you a little while to find the best way to teach your child and still have fun, but you will figure it out and you will both have fun while preparing for kindergarten!

Posted in Kindergarten

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