Reading is a skill that is important not just for schoolwork, but can be a very enjoyable after-school activity for your child. Teach your child to read, and you’re opening worlds of stories and characters that can provide many hours of pleasure. Here are some simple ways that give you ideas on how to help a child with reading: Start young: From a very young age, children are attracted to bright and colorful picture books, and even the most active child will sit down for a few minutes to look at one of these. Choose a book which fewer words on every page, and as the child grows up, start pointing to the words as you read them. Reading with your child is the best way to set them off on the interesting voyage of reading. Set an example: It is often seen, that the best way to introduce a love of reading in a child is for them to see it all around them. Whether it means taking them to the library along with you to start choosing a book from the children’s section, or for them to see you reading in your leisure time, each small thing might have an impact on how they are going to approach reading. If an older sibling has a reading habit, kids reading to kids can also be an interesting option.

A kid reading.
Image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/4765792911/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Use phonics: Once children are old enough to know about words or sounds, you can start asking them to identify the starting and ending sounds in small words, and then slowly start putting 3 and 4 letter words together. This will increase their confidence, and encourage them to try reading new words everyday. You can also play word games with street signs or shop names, when you are on the go, and make it even more fun for your child. Share chapters: When you progress from reading to your child, to a stage where your youngster may be starting to read independently, it is time to make the transition from picture books to novels with a lot more words in them. At this stage, a good way to encourage your child’s reading is to share chapters and read alternate ones with your child, along with clarifying the difficult words in each chapter. With just these simple steps, it gets much easier to help your child as he or she is learning how to read. We at Aloha can help with our English programs, making reading and writing more approachable for your child. Please see our website for more details: http://www.aloha-usa.com