Raising a Reader

By Becky Heil, Library Director, Dubuque County Library

What is the most important thing to do for your preschool child to ensure future success in school? According to the U.S. Department of Education, the road to school success begins early. Reading to your child at home can dramatically increase their classroom abilities. There are many stories of parents who read to their very young children who later found success in school. To read about this, take a look at The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. This book is filled with success stories of busy parents who found time to spend every day reading to their preschoolers.

There is no magic involved. As busy working parents, it can be hard to find the time to read to your child. Even 15 minutes a day can be difficult. And books aren’t cheap. You may think if you aren’t a teacher, you can’t teach your child to read. The good news is you don’t have to teach them to read. You want to teach them to enjoy reading. And you don’t have to buy all the books although a home library is a good indicator of families that like to read. Public libraries are a great place to expose your child to a wide variety of books.

Libraries have more than just books, however. They have knowledgeable librarians available to help you find the books your children will like to hear and eventually read on their own. Librarians also have resources to give you the information you need to help keep your children healthy and continue learning.

So when does a child learn to read? Many people think it happens once they reach school. But learning can take place at home, long before a child enters those school doors. Children learn about spoken language when they hear family members talking, laughing, and singing. They begin to understand written language when they hear adults read stories to them and see adults reading newspapers, magazines, and books for themselves.

All these experiences set the stage for children to become readers and writers. This information comes from a great resource called “A Child Becomes a Reader,” put together by the Department of Education, the National Institute of Literacy, and others. It is available free online or by calling 1-800-228-8813. It is full of ideas to help parents, grandparents, and caregivers help their children become readers and writers.

When you read aloud to your child, you are teaching them how books work. We read from left to right, we hold them right side-up, and we turn the pages one at a time. These are important building blocks of learning to read. When you read aloud to your child, they learn that reading matters… you get to spend time with them… and you teach your child that reading can help our dreams come true.