Reading for kindergarteners
The Ultimate Guide to Kindergarten: Reading and Writing
On the first day of kindergarten, your child officially becomes a student! It’s an exciting transition as young learners blend the playing and craft-making from preschool with more writing, reading, and math lessons. Kindergarteners get used to routines and learn how to be successful students for years to come.
The expectations for what students should achieve, and specifically whether they should know how to read and write by the end of kindergarten, vary across schools, so talk to your child’s teacher for details regarding the specific curriculum.
By laying the right foundation for your child’s success in kindergarten, you can prime them for accomplishing great academic strides for years to come. Make sure they are prepared for kindergarten and excels throughout the year with this comprehensive guide to success.
Shop kindergarten workbooks, the best series for kindergarten readers, and kindergarten school stories at The Scholastic Store!
Want even more book and reading ideas? Sign up for our Scholastic Parents newsletter.
Kindergarten Reading Skills
In kindergarten, children begin to grow as independent readers and become more comfortable with reading, which is now part of their daily life. Students read books, the day’s schedule, class letters, songs, and poems throughout the day.
To build reading skills, your kindergartener:
- Learns all of the letters of the alphabet (upper case and lower case) and their sounds.
- Begins to “read” books themselves, mainly by memorization
- Reads and listens to stories and then talks about the stories, including their plots, characters, and events.
- Follows words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
- Recognizes and can produce rhyming words.
- Recognizes several basic sight words such as I, my, you, is, and are.
- Adds or substitutes individual sounds in simple, one-syllable words to make new words, such as replacing the “C” in “Cat” with an “R” to create the word “Rat.
”
Kindergarten Reading Activities
Read and Repeat: Ask your child to “read” their favorite book to you, using their memory, associations, and clues from the pictures.
Alphabet Books: Use drawings or pictures from magazines to create an alphabet book with a letter and an object that begins with that letter on each page.
Fill in the Blank: When you read a favorite picture book to your child and come across a short word that rhymes or is familiar to your child because they know the story, stop and let them say the word. Point to the word as they say it and spell it out.
Kindergarten Writing Skills
In kindergarten, your child begins to truly grow as a writer. Kindergartners start to write words (often using their own creative or invented spellings), and may even write their own mini books and stories about their lives or what they’ve learned.
Don’t worry if they're spelling most words incorrectly: Creative or invented spelling is a crucial part of developing writing skills at this age.
Spelling words based on sounds helps your child consider our language’s building blocks and gain a deeper understanding of them. Most of the words your kindergartner will learn to spell correctly are one-syllable words which often follow the pattern of CVC, or CONSONANT, VOWEL, CONSONANT — think “cat,” “big,” or “rug.”
To build writing skills, your kindergartener:
- Writes uppercase and lowercase letters
- Writes their name.
- Writes some letters and words when they are dictated.
- Uses invented or creative spelling to write a variety of words.
- Uses conventional spelling to write some words (CVC and basic sight words).
- Writes, draws, and dictates about a variety of topics, including their opinion and descriptions of objects or moments and events in their life.
Kindergarten Writing Activities
Label Everything: Create labels with your child for different objects in your house, like books, toy bins, foods, kitchen objects, and clothes.
You or your child can write the names of the objects, and your child can draw a picture to go along with it.
Play Guessing Games: Draw a picture and have your child guess the spelling of that word, giving them a few letters in the word as a hint. Alternatively, show your child two letters (like this: “_at”) and ask them to make as many words as they can with it.
Create a Photo Album: When you take pictures of events or people, ask your child to label the picture. Glue it to a piece of a paper so they can write a description of the event, what happened, who was there, etc.
Find more expert-approved kindergarten books, tips, and resources at our guide to getting ready for kindergarten, including a list of books to read before kindergarten.
Shop the best resources for kindergarten below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store.
Explore other grade guides:
- First Grade
- Second Grade
- Third Grade
- Fourth Grade
- Fifth Grade
- Sixth Grade
- Seventh Grade
- Eighth Grade
Reading Tips for Parents of Kindergartners
By: Reading Rockets
Play with letters, words, and sounds! Having fun with language helps your child learn to crack the code of reading.
The tips below offersome fun ways you can help your child become a happy andconfident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best foryour child.
These tips for parents of kindergartners are also available to download and print:
Talk to your child
Ask your child to talk about his day at school. Encourage him to explain something they did, or a game he played during recess.
Say silly tongue twisters
Sing songs, read rhyming books, and say silly tongue twisters. These help kids become sensitive to the sounds in words.
Read it and experience it
Connect what your child reads with what happens in life. If reading a book about animals, relate it to your last trip to the zoo.
Use your child’s name
Point out the link between letters and sounds. Say, "John, the word jump begins with the same sound as your name. John, jump. And they both begin with the same letter, J."
Play with puppets
Play language games with puppets.
Have the puppet say, "My name is Mark. I like words that rhyme with my name. Does park rhyme with Mark? Does ball rhyme with Mark?"
Trace and say letters
Have your child use a finger to trace a letter while saying the letter's sound. Do this on paper, in sand, or on a plate of sugar.
Write it down
Have paper and pencils available for your child to use for writing. Working together, write a sentence or two about something special. Encourage her to use the letters and sounds she's learning about in school.
Play sound games
Practice blending sounds into words. Ask "Can you guess what this word is? m - o - p." Hold each sound longer than normal.
Read it again and again
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time! As you read, pause and ask your child about what is going on in the book.
Talk about letters and sounds
Help your child learn the names of the letters and the sounds the letters make.
Turn it into a game! "I'm thinking of a letter and it makes the sound mmmmmm."
Reading tips in other languages
A downloadable handout, for parents of babies, toddlers, and children in preschool to grade 3, is available in the following languages:
Reading tips for parents of…
Reading Rockets (2021)
Reprints
You are welcome to print copies or republish materials for non-commercial use as long as credit is given to Reading Rockets and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact [email protected]
Related Topics
Background Knowledge
Early Literacy Development
Oral Language
Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
Print Awareness
Reading Aloud
Writing
New and Popular
Print-to-Speech and Speech-to-Print: Mapping Early Literacy
100 Children’s Authors and Illustrators Everyone Should Know
A New Model for Teaching High-Frequency Words
7 Great Ways to Encourage Your Child's Writing
Screening, Diagnosing, and Progress Monitoring for Fluency: The Details
Phonemic Activities for the Preschool or Elementary Classroom
Our Literacy Blogs
Is Emily Hanford Right?
Kids and educational media
Meet Ali Kamanda and Jorge Redmond, authors of Black Boy, Black Boy: Celebrating the Power of You
Get Widget |
Subscribe
goals, benefits, program with exercises
After the child has learned to read by syllables, he will have to master the skill of reading full-fledged texts.
Teaching children to read is a complex and time-consuming process that requires the right approach. This article will cover all the important issues. concerning the introduction of children to literature.
The importance and purpose of reading for preschoolers
Reading is a skill that every adult needs. The sooner the baby begins to learn to work with texts, the sooner he will be able to take advantage of all the benefits that will become available to him. nine0003
Learning to read is best with parents
Reading is responsible for the development of such skills as the analysis of the text read, the perception and retelling of the information received. It replenishes vocabulary and develops logical thinking. Working with fiction already at an early age forms a competent, beautiful and correct speech, and the child himself learns to freely express his thoughts in his native language.
Reading is also responsible for the formation of moral and cultural values, character and worldview.
With its help, the baby indirectly gets acquainted with the past, future and present. The most important spiritual qualities, such as mercy, compassion, the joy of someone else's success, children also often draw from books. nine0003
The goal of reading fiction in kindergarten is to master all of the above skills, and most importantly, to instill in children a love of reading. All this can be achieved with the help of works of Russian folklore. Interesting and fascinating stories of fairy tales will teach the younger generation to see the plot, climax, denouement in the work. On a subconscious level, they will catch what the plot is and will be able to divide the characters into "good" and "bad". All this develops logical thinking and contributes to comprehensive development. nine0003
Important! Literary education plays a huge role for preschoolers, because it is one of the key factors in their upbringing. The book will become a means of understanding the surrounding world, its way of life and foundations.
At what age can you start learning
Each kid needs an individual approach, so there is no clear age when you need to start teaching him to read. There are generally accepted age limits, but even here there are many pitfalls.
Modern realities force inexperienced parents to chase time, and this often affects their children. Ambitious adults try to invest in the child all the skills as early as possible: knowledge of foreign languages (often English), reading and much more. Now a child who came to the first grade, being able to read, is not uncommon. But is it necessary to take away their childhood from preschool children for what they will be taught anyway in the future? Each parent decides for himself.
Every parent decides when to teach a child to read
Determination of the optimal age to start reading lessons ends with the fact that the best time is when the child himself reaches for literature. As a rule, this is a period between six and seven years.
Important! A child cannot just pick up and want to learn to read. Everything should come from the family. In order for the baby to independently take the initiative, he must learn this from adults. Parents should read aloud to him before going to bed, be able to turn spending time together into a game. nine0003
It is unlikely that a child of 3-4 years old will want to read a book on his own. At this age, he can be taught to mechanically add syllables into words, but he will not understand the meaning of what he read. This practice often leads to the formation of an internal barrier to further learning, and there is no benefit from it.
When a child begins to be interested in books, parents need to be able not to take this interest away from him.
Please note! When the kid nevertheless reached for literature, he did not become an adult. All learning should not take much time - at this age, it is difficult for children to focus on long-term perception of information, and even more so on its comprehension.
nine0003
The ideal option is to turn reading for toddlers into an entertaining game. Then the learning process will not be perceived with rejection, which is a normal reaction of the brain to something new.
However, even if a child of 6-7 years old cannot read, this is not backwardness, but a normal phenomenon. It's time to start teaching him this. The GEF program offers tasks for learning to read from scratch at this age. Often, audio lessons are sold as an app for textbooks.
How to start your first reading
There are a huge number of methods that offer parents the most sophisticated options for gently teaching children to read. But is it worth it to surround the child with cards with words from 5-6 months?
Parents also learn in the process
In order for reading to children aged 5-6 not to become news, it is necessary to surround the child with written information from childhood. The alphabet on the wall, books in the house, cubes with letters - the kid must get used to the fact that textual information is an indispensable part of life.
nine0003
Everything should go from simple to complex. First letters, then syllables, then words, sentences, and text. Learning letters with a child is not difficult if you turn everything into a game. For example, you can print coloring pictures with letters on cards, and in the process of coloring invent which words begin with this letter.
Important! We must not forget about the most important component of the Russian language - sounds. It is necessary to teach the child to understand and pronounce sounds in a timely manner. This will help him master reading much faster. nine0003
When the child has mastered the letters, syllables and sounds, you can move on to reading words. It is important to be patient with classes and make sure that the child does not feel discomfort. Do not rush him if he thought about the name of the next letter. Each lesson is the work of two, but the main task lies with an adult.
Additional information. Do not exercise with your child for more than 15-20 minutes a day.
This is the optimal time for which the baby can concentrate, subject to interest. Fast learning to read does not depend on the duration of the lessons, but on their regularity and quality. nine0003
Reading short stories or fairy tales before bed is a good option for the first group activities. This is suitable for those cases when the baby has already mastered the letters and syllables. At this time, the parent reads the text on his own, occasionally inviting the child to try to read this or that word. It is worth choosing words that make sense, but not too complicated.
For example, if the story is about a snail, you can ask the child to read the word "snail" and show it in the picture. The main thing is to make sure that the child does not learn to guess the words by the connection of the first letter and the picture. How to avoid this will be discussed below. nine0003
If a parent really wants to teach a child to read, but absolutely does not know how to approach this matter, it makes sense to purchase a special manual in a bookstore.
It can also be found online in the form of a presentation. This literature is aimed at educating parents.
How teaching should be done
Despite the lack of a single methodology for teaching reading, there are rules that will help parents learn to read for preschoolers.
Important! Each parent can independently determine the algorithm by which he will introduce his child to literature. The main thing to remember is that the entire responsibility for the educational process lies with the teacher, in this case, the parent.
Those who doubt their own abilities can seek the help of a specialist. The modern service market offers a huge number of teachers who are ready to teach a child to read at least at five, at least at six or seven years.
It is better for parents to take care of a child
But will it be interesting for a child to engage in an unfamiliar business with a stranger? Most likely no. Therefore, adults should carefully consider everything and honestly answer the question, do they want to take away the carefree time of childish pranks from their child and spend it studying?
Reading simulators
It is customary to start learning to read from books where words are accompanied by pictures.
However, it is often easier for children to read the first letter and, by comparing it with the picture, guess the word. To avoid this, it is proposed to use a card index with words. nine0003
First, the child is given cards with three-letter words: house, cat, garden….. When he has learned to read such words freely, you can move on to cards with four-letter words. Next - words, where three, four syllables.
Important! Such a simulator assumes the absence of a word-picture-object association, so you cannot focus only on classes with it. But the practice of "only words" is sometimes helpful.
Another good reading simulator for preschoolers that develops the child's ability to think logically and increases the speed of reading - anagrams. It is worth offering to make a word out of a set of letters, and help the kid understand the essence of the game, and it will definitely drag him out. For clarity, the letters can be printed on a sheet of paper and cut out.
For example, from "yarub" the child will have to collect the word "storm". nine0003
An example of a simulator with cards
Useful exercises
An interesting exercise that helps develop a child's interest in reading and quickly consolidate the already mastered skill - "half a word". It is necessary to close the words in the sentence exactly halfway with a ruler, and invite the child to read them.
You can also print simple words on the cards, cut the papers in half, and invite the child to collect the words piece by piece. Such an interesting task will cause excitement in the kid. And the presence of passion implies the presence of interest, which is one of the key factors in the process of teaching preschoolers to read. nine0003
Reading by syllables
At the initial stages of teaching preschool children to read, the most important moment is reading by syllables. This is what will become the basis for reading words in the future.
When the preschooler has finished learning the letters, the usual alphabet can be replaced with the “alphabet with syllables”.
It will help the child to visualize the sounds and syllables from which these sounds are obtained. It also assumes the existence of rules on some syllables (there is no combination “chya” - it is replaced by “write thicker with the letter a”). nine0003
Important! It is better to start teaching your baby to read with repeated syllables. For example, ma-ma, pa-pa, uncle-dya and others. This exercise will help the child comprehend the connection of syllables and words.
How often should you study with a child
The key to success in mastering any skill lies in regularity. The more regular the classes, the better. But it is not in vain that they say that repetition is the mother of learning. So do not forget about the importance of repeating the previously studied material.
Most of the manuals offer 15-20 minutes of lessons with children of primary preschool age daily, but this scenario is not suitable for everyone. nine0003
Some children find reading difficult, both in the process and in general.
We must not forget that every child is an individual with their own tastes, preferences, hobbies. A child may not like reading, and this is not scary.
In order for the child to like classes, he needs to be interested
In cases where the child finds it difficult to study, it is too early to give up. It makes sense to take breaks between classes in 1-2 days.
Important! Also, parents should remember that in the preparatory groups of the preschool educational institution, educators also work with children. You should not overload the child when he did a good job in kindergarten, otherwise he will quickly get bored. nine0003
Books for independent reading at 6-7 years old
Independent reading for children involves the selection of the correct literature. After all, the key factor in the question of a preschooler's interest in a particular book will be its content.
Unfortunately, the modern market is full of books with interesting content, but an absolutely perverted concept of morality.
The first literary experience of a child should be not only entertaining, but also useful. After all, as mentioned earlier, books form not only the mental skills of a person, but also engage in his spiritual education. nine0003
In order not to make a mistake with the choice of a book, then a list of suitable literature for self-reading of children of primary preschool age will be compiled.
Family reading classes
- The Little Humpbacked Horse (Peter Ershov).
- Scarlet Flower (Sergey Aksakov).
- Silver Hoof (Pavel Bazhov).
- Pushkin's Tales ("The Tale of the Golden Cockerel", "The Tale of the Orybak and the Fish").
- The Wizard of the Emerald City (Alexander Volkov). nine0144
- "Old Man Hottabych" (L. Lagin).
- "Three fat men" (Yu. Olesha).
- "The Adventures of Pinocchio" (A. Tolstoy).
- "Deniska's stories" (V. Dragunsky).
- The Little Prince (A. Saint-Exupery).
- "Mowgli" (R. Kipling).
- "Winnie the Pooh and all-all-all" (A. Milne).
In conclusion, it is worth noting that it is important, but not necessary, to teach a child to read at preschool age. The right approach to classes and the right choice of literature for joint or independent reading will be the key to success. And all parents should remember that the baby will love them equally, regardless of the age at which they taught him to read. nine0003
Reading fiction in kindergarten.
| Fiction consultation (senior group): ME WITH CHILDREN
Reading fiction in kindergarten.
Dryanitsyna Natalya Yurievna.
Introducing children to artistic reading is currently a problem of modern society. It should be noted that literature is a powerful means of intellectual, moral and aesthetic education. It enriches children's speech, emotions, forms humane feelings, makes it possible to think, fantasize. Adults, from the very birth of a child, should arouse interest and love for the book, open the reader in the baby. nine0003
The main goal of reading fiction in kindergarten is to develop an interest in reading among preschoolers. Such activity begins already in the first junior group.
Preschool children are listeners, not readers, therefore a work of art is conveyed to them by a teacher. The teacher has an important task - each work must be conveyed to children as a work of art, its intention revealed, the listener interested in an emotional attitude to what is read: feelings, actions, lyrical experiences of the characters.
nine0003
The purpose of the work of teachers:
• Development of interest in fiction.
• Formation of literary taste.
• Education of the future reader.
Tasks:
• Introduce children to various genres of literature (stories, poems, works of oral folk art (songs, nursery rhymes, riddles, fairy tales, poets, writers, illustrators).
• Enrich vocabulary with figurative words, expressions, help form competent speech.0003
• To promote psychophysiological development (phonemic hearing, memory, attention, imagination, artistic and literary creativity.
• To form a positive image of "I".
• To cultivate the need to communicate with a book, the culture of reading, respect for the book.
In the process of communicating with a book, the child not only learns the past, present and future of the world, but most importantly, learns to think, analyze, develops creatively, thus forming the moral and cultural basis of the personality.
0003
Instilling interest in fiction, forming a literary taste, we use various, including non-traditional forms of work with children, parents, the public, since only well-coordinated joint work, the efforts of adults surrounding children can introduce children to reading books.
Methods of work to introduce children to reading include:
- Verbal:
• Reading works of art.
• Talks based on reading. nine0003
• Learning by heart.
• Retelling of works.
• Expressive reading.
- Practical:
• Dramatization games.
• Didactic games.
• Elements of staging.
• Image of what has been read in visual activity (sculpting, drawing, appliqué).
• Theatrical activities.
- Visual:
• Display of illustrations, pictures, toys. nine0003
• Watching videos, movies.
• Design of exhibitions.
• Use of different types of theatre.
Examples of cooperation with parents are:
• Parent meetings.
• Individual advice.
• Workshops.
• Folders - sliders.
• Photo presentations.
• Participation of parents in project activities, literary competitions, in the creation of the library fund of the preschool educational institution, in the design of exhibitions, layouts. nine0003
Based on the fact that the system of work on introducing preschool children to reading books based on various forms of work with children, parents, and the public allows preschoolers to:
1) increase the level of cognitive, speech, psychophysical development of children;
2) creates the prerequisites for the realization of creative abilities, self-expression;
3) helps children enter the world of fiction and develop reading skills.
Thus, it is important to recognize the process of reading as determining in education and development, worldview and moral development of a person, a child.
