6 Brilliant Tips To Foster A Love Of Reading In Preschoolers • love beauty thrive

Preschoolers (ages 2-4) will soon be in the early stages of learning to read. We’ve put together a list of 6 brilliant tips to foster a love of reading in preschoolers.

If you want to help your little one love books and reading (as much as screens), you’ll need some creative ways to keep them interested, focused, and engaged during story time.

Simple reading strategies for preschoolers are effective and easy to implement, and help to build literacy confidence before they venture off to kindergarten.

They are sure to help instill in your child a lifelong passion for books …

LONGER STORIES & EMOTIONAL CONCEPTS

As toddlers become preschoolers, attention spans get longer. Introduce longer books (both fiction and non-fiction), involved storylines, and more in-depth emotional concepts to make a lasting impression and keep your child engaged.

ASK QUESTIONS & IDENTIFY

Promote comprehension by asking your child questions about the story and its characters. Develop recognition by also frequently asking them to identify letters and numbers in the text (even short sight words).

RHYME & REPEAT

Develop awareness of letter, letter blends, and word sounds by reading rhyming books (over and over). Rhyming books are a fun favourite of this age group (e.g., Dr. Seuss) and one of the best ways to develop phonological awareness.

‘PRETEND’ READ

Ask your child to ‘read’ favourite books to you. Encourage them to hold the book and turn pages themselves, telling the story in their own words (using pictures and memory to help). ‘Pretend’ reading develops fluency, expression, comprehension, and confidence.

BRING A BOOK

Always have a book. Every minute spent reading counts, so bring a book everywhere you go. Why wait when you can read? Take every available opportunity to read with your child whether waiting in line, at an appointment, when travelling, or enjoying time outdoors.

READ, READ, READ

Let your child see you read for enjoyment every day. Read (and reread) various age appropriate material together on topics of interest to your child – books, ebooks (public library apps or a children’s subscription service), magazines, comics, websites, even street signs and billboards (to promote letter/number recognition).