We don't usually think of children 3-5 years old using a newspaper, but they can benefit greatly. They are motivated to use the paper by a desire to participate in such a grown-up activity. Children who are playing house mimic newspaper reading because that is what grownups do.
Preschoolers can successfully use headlines, ads, pictures and comic strips.
These parts of the newspaper are especially well suited to this age because the print is bigger and the material is more fun than the straight-news sections. The activities that follow use those sections, unless otherwise stated. Try stapling the section of the newspaper that you are using along the fold so that it opens like a big book. This will prevent the pages from falling out and make it much easier for little hands to handle. Before your child can learn to read, he or she will need to recognize letters.