Teaching kids how to read was one of my favorite parts of being a kindergarten teacher. Helping kids progress from rhyming to naming letters to reading words was just plain magical.

One of the things parents asked me most often was how I knew kids were ready to read. It all felt so mysterious.

The answer is a little bit complicated. Just like you’re never 100% sure at what moment kids will take their first step, we also can’t name the time and place when kids will read their first word. But there are four telling signs that kids are ready to jump in and start the reading process.

Children give clues that they are ready to begin reading.  Teachers call these “pre-reading skills” and they include:

1. Motivation
2. Print Awareness
3. Letter Recognition
4. Phonological Awareness

What do those funny terms mean in real world language? And how can you teach them to your kids? Let’s look at them more closely one by one.

Motivation

Motivating new readers is a no-brainer.  Children must be interested in reading before they will put forth the effort to learn how to do it.

Gathering books on topics your child enjoys and making story time a special chance to bond as a family or relax in class are two quick ways to increase their motivation. For more inspiration check out our favorite tips for motivating reluctant readers.

Print Awareness

Children should understand that readers sound out words on a page by looking at letters, thinking about what sounds they make, and putting those sounds together to make words.  Kids don’t need to be able to actually sound out the word on their own, but they should grasp the concept.

Print awareness also includes understanding how to read a book.  Children should be able to point to the cover, show you how to turn a page when you finish reading the words, and hold the book so that it faces the correct direction.

One quick way to help your child improve her understanding of reading basics is to think out loud.  Check out the short video {below} explaining this technique.

Letter Recognition

Before children read, they can typically name the letters they see.  {“That is a B.  That is an O.”}  Being able to recognize the ABCs prepares them for learning letter sounds later.

Since some of the best {and most entertaining} learning happens when children are playing, you can help your child recognize letters with a batch of super fun ABC games.

Phonological Awareness

Said more simply, children need to be able to hear the sounds in words.  For example:

1.  Do “cat” and “dog” rhyme?  Answer: No, they do not end with the same sound.

2.  What is the first sound in the word “rabbit”?  Answer: /r/.

3.  How many syllables do you hear when you clap out the word “rodeo”?  Answer: Three /ro/  /de/  /o/.

To help your child improve her phonological awareness, play rhyming games like “Little Mouse, Little Mouse” and Five Little Monkeys. Teach her how to break words into parts and put together a beginning sound sort.

Are Your Kids Ready to Read?

After readers asked for an easy-to-follow, fun-to-play activity pack that teaches kids everything from rhyming to letter sounds to sight words and even CVCe words, I pulled together the Endless Guided Reading Bundle. It gives you everything you need to teach kids how to read in one simple download.

No more time spent hunting for effective, motivating ways to teach kids how to read. Everything you need is in one spot – laid out for you step-by-step. Check it out here.