By Angelina Spiteri-Bender
Q: My child appears to enjoy reading, but seems stagnant in their development. What should I look for to ensure my child or student is progressing in their fluency and how can I help?
A: Reading and spelling is the end goal we all hope for; however, we may have to slow down a bit and make sure our children and students have built a strong foundation in their literacy. Continue to read books to your child that promote a love of literature and help spark an interest in reading.
Q: What comprises a strong literacy foundation?
A: Strong phonological awareness skills are a prerequisite to reading. Once these crucial pre-reading skills are strengthened, we know our children and students can hear and vocalize sounds to begin blending sounds into words in reading and segmenting words into sounds in spelling.
Alphabet skills also are important in building a strong literacy foundation. Singing the alphabet and recognizing letter names help your child and/or student associate the sound to the letter later down the road.
Reading to a child and engaging them in answering questions about what they listened to is a preliminary comprehension building activity. Nothing is better than sitting down and listening to a good story, right?
Lastly, it is important to remember this is not an easy road for all. Keeping early learning fun, engaging and positive is highly encouraged.
Angelina Spiteri-Bender is a certified dyslexia practitioner, director of the Grosse Pointe Brainspring Learning Center and instructor at Brainspring Educator Academy. More information may be found at brainspring.com or by calling (800) 732-3211. Brainspring Learning Center is a member of The Family Center’s Association of Professionals.
The Family Center’s mission is to serve the community through programs and resources vital to today’s families. As a nonprofit organization, it is completely supported by community donations. To learn more, visit familycenterweb.org, call (313) 447-1374 or email info@familycenterweb.org.