Learning to Read and Write

Children have to be taught to read and write by adults. These skills take years to learn. Some children learn more quickly than others, but they all make better progress when the learning process is an enjoyable experience.

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES
Parents and carers have an extremely important part to play in preparing children for the early stages of reading. Learning to read is made so much easier if children:
» have had stories read to them
» have had the chance to talk about stories, pictures and what happens
» know some nursery rhymes
» know that books are fun.

BOOKS FOR BABIES
From the age of about 9 months, or even earlier, children begin to enjoy books when they share the activity with an enthusiastic adult. They soon learn to:

hold the book the right way up
point to pictures
listen attentively
help to turn the pages

BOOKSTART
Bookstart is the first national books programme for babies in the world, and was introduced in Birmingham in 1992. Librarians and health visitors worked together on this project. Librarians constructed the pack, which contained a book, nursery rhyme card, information about book clubs and the local library. Health visitors gave the packs to parents at the 9-month hearing test, explained its purpose and encouraged parents to share the book with their baby. You can find out more about it at: www.bookstart.co.uk

Sam enjoys

looking at pictures with his mum
recognising objects
talking about what is seen
having his questions answered

Cara enjoys

the comfort of being near her dad
listening to the stories she likes over and over again
following the words (she is learning that the words go from left to right across the page)

LEARNING TO READ

Each child learns to read at his or her own speed. Starting to learn may be left until the child attends school at the age of 5, or the child may be ready to begin earlier. It is important for parents to encourage a young child's natural interest and ability without trying to force the pace. If a child is made to learn too soon, reading will not be an enjoyable experience, and the child may resist learning and begin to fail. Learning to read involves learning:

« to recognise letters and link them with sounds (A)
« that groups of letters or sounds make words that have meanings (B)
« that strings of words make phrases or sentences that have meanings (C).

Parents can encourage a child to follow the words as stories are being read out loud, and to begin to say the words at the same time as the reader. Gradually the child will learn to recognise words and even phrases, gaining clues from the context of the story and from pictures.

The child should be praised and encouraged, and not corrected every time a mistake is made. It is essential that the child does not get frustrated and lose interest.
When the child goes to school, a large part of each day will be concerned with reading and writing for several years, because the child has many essential skills to lear

LEARNING TO WRITE

Before a child can write easily, a number of skills have to be mastered which require a great deal of practice:

holding and controlling a pencil
forming the letter shapes
writing in a straight line with letters and words spaced neatly
learning to spell
'joined-up' writing (a quicker way to write)
using correct punctuation and grammar

It is helpful if a child can at least hold a pencil correctly before starting school. Left-handedness should not be discouraged if it comes naturally to the child.

READING AND WRITING DIFFICULTIES

There are a number of reasons why some children have more difficulty than others in learning to read and write. These include:

lack of motivation - no one is interested in the child's progress
the child is discouraged by repeated correction when reading
the child's experience of language is limited - the child has a small vocabulary and little practice in using it. (This may apply to children of ethnic groups who are being educated in a different language from the one they speak at home.)
poor eyesight
poor hearing
poor hand-eye co-ordination, which makes writing difficult
dyslexia

Dyslexia
Dyslexia means 'word blindness'. Children who suffer from this condition find reading, writing and spelling difficult even though they are able to talk well and have none of the other difficulties listed above. These children may say that the letters are confused, or they are the wrong way round, or they move around on the page. Children who are dyslexic often have to work very hard indeed to overcome this condition, and they may need a great deal of individual help from specialist teachers and parents.