The majority of children learn how to read by putting letters together that match up with the familiar sounds that they have heard before. Children learn the sounds that the letters make and then learn how letters come together to make words.

Words are not exclusive to books. Just take a look around you and you'll see that words are everywhere... from the clothes you wear to the water you drink. Civilization depends on the written language. You can use the words that you see in everyday life to help your child learn how to read. One way to do this is to look at pictures of what the word means or even better the real thing.

When children are starting to read they begin to learn that text on a page actually means something. Words give us information to navigate through the world, to identify our belongings, as well as the ability to communicate with others.

You can help your child by doing the following:

-Singing can work wonders. Rhymes show children how letters make the same pattern in different words. Play words games with your child to make word identification fun.

-Play 'i-spy'. This game is a great way to show your children that every word starts with a letter.

-Point things out to your children. If you are at the grocery store explain to them what everything is.

-Have your child pick out a book that they want you to read to them.

-When you read to your child use your finger to go over the words so they see that words go from left to right and that sentences read from top to bottom.

-Don't make your child guess over and over until they get it right. This will only get them frustrated once they reach a certain point. You need to help them spell the word out and explain to them how the letters make the sounds they hear.

-The most important thing is positive reinforcement. Let them know how proud you are of them.

By: math-and-reading-help-for-kids.org