When children become good readers in the early grades, t h ey are more like ly

to become better learners throughout their school years and beyo n d .

L e a rning to read is hard wo rk for children. F o rt u n a t e ly, research is now av a i l a ble that 

suggests how to give each child a good start in reading.

Becoming a reader invo l ves the development of important skills, including learning to:

●u s e language in conve rs a t i o n

●l i s t e n and respond to stories read aloud

●re c og n i ze and name the letters of the alphabet

● l i s t e n to the sounds of spoken language

●c o n n e c t sounds to letters to figure out the “ c o d e ” of reading

● re a d often so that recognizing words becomes easy and automatic

●l e a r n and u s e new wo r d s

●u n d e rs t a n d what is read

Preschool and kinderg a rten teachers set the stage for your child to learn to read with some 

c ritical early skills. F i rs t , s e c o n d , and third grade teachers then take up the task of building the

skills that children will use eve ry day for the rest of their live s . As a parent, you can help by

u n d e rstanding what teachers are teaching and by asking questions about your child’s

progress and the classroom reading progra m .

You can also help your children become readers . L e a rning to read takes pra c t i c e, m o r e

p ractice than children get during the school day. This brochure describes what a quality

reading program should look like at school and how you can support that program through

activities with your children.
At school you should see teachers...

●Teaching the sounds of language. The teacher provides opportunities for children to 

p ractice with the sounds that make up wo r d s . Children learn to put sounds together to make

words and to break words into their separate sounds.

●Teaching the letters of the alphabet. Te a c h e rs help children learn to recognize letter 

names and shapes.

●Helping children learn and use new word s.

●Reading to children eve ry day. Te a c h e rs read with expression and talk with children 

about what they are reading.

At home you can help by. . .

● P racticing the sounds of language. Read books with rhy m e s . Teach your child rhy m e s ,

s h o rt poems, and songs. P l ay simple word games: H ow many words can you make up that sound 

l i ke the word “ b a t ” ?

●Helping your child take spoken words apart and put them tog e t h e r.

Help your child separate the sounds in wo r d s , listen for beginning 

and ending sounds, and put separate sounds together.

● P racticing the alphabet by pointing 

out letters wherever you see them 

and by reading alphabet books.
At school you should see teachers...

●Systematically teaching phonics—how sounds and letters are re l a t e d .

●Giving children the opportunity to practice the letter-sound relationships they are 

l e a r n i n g . Children have the chance to practice sounds and letters by reading easy books that 

use words with the letter-sound relationships they are learn i n g .

●Helping ch i l d ren write the letter-sound relationships they know by using them in word s,

s e n t e n c e s, m e s s a g e s, and their own stories.

●S h owing children ways to think about and understand what they are re a d i n g . The teacher 

asks children questions to show them how to think about the meaning of what they read.

At home you can help by. . .

● Pointing out the letter-sound relationships your child is learning on labels, b oxe s,

n ew s p a p e rs, m a gazines and signs.

● Listening to your child read words and books from school. Be patient and listen as 

your child pra c t i c e s . Let your child know you are proud of his reading.
At school you should see teachers...

●C o n t i nuing to teach letter-sound relationships for children who need more pra c t i c e.

On ave ra g e, children need about two ye a rs of instruction in letter-sound relationships to 

become good spellers as well as readers .

● Teaching the meaning of word s, especially words that are important to understanding 

a book.

● Teaching ways to learn the meaning of new word s. Te a c h e rs cannot possibly teach students 

the meaning of eve ry new word they see or read. Children should be taught how to use 

d i c t i o n a ries to learn word meanings, h ow to use known words and word parts to figure out 

other wo r d s , and how to get clues about a word from the rest of the sentence.

●Helping children understand what they are re a d i n g . Good readers think as they read and 

they know whether what they are reading is making sense. Te a c h e rs help children to check their 

u n d e rs t a n d i n g . When children are having diffi c u l t y, t e a c h e rs show them ways to figure out the 

meaning of what they are reading.

At home you can help your child by. . .

●R e reading familiar books. Children need practice in reading comfo rt a bly and with expression 

using books they know.

● Building reading accura c y. As your child is reading aloud, point out words he missed and help 

him read words corr e c t ly. If you stop to focus on a wo r d ,h ave your child reread the whole 

sentence to be sure he understands the meaning.

●Building reading compre h e n s i o n . Talk with your child about what she is reading. Ask about 

new wo r d s . Talk about what happened in a story. Ask about the chara c t e rs , p l a c e s , and events 

that took place. Ask what new info rmation she has learned from the book. E n c o u rage her to 

read on her ow n .
● S h a re conve rsations with your child over meal times and 

other times you are tog e t h e r. Children learn words more 

e a s i ly when they hear them spoken often. Introduce new and 

interesting words at eve ry opport u n i t y.

● Read together eve ry day. Spend time talking about stori e s ,

p i c t u r e s , and wo r d s .

● Be your child’s best advo c a t e. Keep info rmed about your 

c h i l d ’s progress in reading and ask the teacher about ways 

you can help.

● Be a reader and a writer. Children learn habits from the 

people around them.

● Visit the libra ry often. S t o ry times, c o m p u t e rs , h o m e wo rk 

h e l p, and other exciting activities await the entire family.

Put Reading First 

Helping Your Child Learn to Read

The Pa rtnership for Reading

This brochure was published by The Pa rt n e rship for Reading, a collabora t i ve effo rt of the National Institute fo r

L i t e racy (NIFL), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the U. S .

D e p a rtment of Education to make evidence-based reading research av a i l a ble to educators ,p a r e n t s ,p o l i c y -

m a ke rs , and others with an interest in helping all people learn to read we l l .

RMC Research Corp o ration developed this brochure with funding from the National Institute for Litera c y

under contract number ED-00-CO-0093.The comments or conclusions do not necessari ly represent the

positions or policies of NIFL, N I C H D, or the U. S .D e p a rtment of Education and you should not assume

e n d o rsement by the Federal Gove rn m e n t .

The National Institute for Literacy

The National Institute for Litera c y, an independent fe d e ral org a n i z a t i o n ,s u p p o rts the development of highquality state, r e g i o n a l , and national literacy services so that all A m e ricans can develop the literacy skills they

need to succeed at wo rk , at home, and in the commu n i t y. The National Institute for Literacy administers T h e

Pa rt n e rship for Reading and other programs that promote child and adult litera c y. For more info rm a t i o n

about NIFL and reading, visit w w w. n i f l . gov.

To obtain the full copy of Te a ching Children to Read, the 2000 report of the National Reading Pa n e l ,w h i c h

s e rves as the basis for the info rmation in this brochure, visit w w w. n a t i o n a l re a d i n g p a n e l . o r g .

For additional copies of this brochure, contact the National Institute for Literacy at ED Pubs,

PO Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. 1-800-228-8813. Fax 301-430-1244.

Email EdPubOrders@aspensys.com. Or download the document at www.nifl.gov.