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A parent, other relative—even a babysitter—is reading to a young child. There’s something warm and inviting about this scene. But there’s also something miraculous going on in the brain of the child who’s being read to. Neurons are firing, connections are being made, and language is getting solidified.  

It Starts Earlier Than You Think

With reading proficiency hovering near the mid-30th percentile nationally, it’s imperative that we better support our children to become more eager and capable readers. This can and should begin at home with our youngest children. There is vast scientific evidence that proves that the more language children are exposed to, the more they have a chance of becoming strong readers.

Infants absorb language in utero. They hear verbal conversation, pick up patterns, and learn words, phrases, tone, and meaning innately. The more children of any age hear and see language, the better.  

Talk Matters

The most important aspects of parent talk are amount and quality. And the more precise and descriptive it is with a higher number of unique words, the better. Children’s academic successes at ages 9 and 10 can be attributed to the amount of talk they hear from birth through age 3. Young children who are exposed to early language and literacy experiences are also more likely to be good readers later on in life. 

Tips for Fostering Positive Reading Habits with Your Child  

• Make reading material plentiful in your home from newspapers and books to magazines—even comic books.

• Follow the text with your finger while reading and talk about the content of a story with your child. Or use a “read-to-me” function in an app like Epic, which highlights the words as the story is read.

• Make reading together a priority and build daily habits like reading at bedtime or during breakfast. 

• Have your child read to you without your criticism or judgment to understand how their reading is progressing. 

• Read material to your child that is of inherent interest to them and for which they have background knowledge. Give graphic novels a try.

• Point out written words in everyday life. This can include signs in grocery stores, subway stations, along roadways—virtually anywhere.

• Point out letters, individual letter sounds, and vowel teams like “oa”, “ie”, and “au”, and consonant sounds like “ch”, “sh”, and “th”—as well as others.   

• Use Artificial Intelligence to help you write stories that would interest your child. 

• Talk with your child about what they’re reading and what they like or dislike about it. 

• If your child is struggling with reading, encourage them to talk about what’s challenging them.