Did you know that there are five skills your child should master before you begin formal reading instruction? Because these reading readiness skills are so important, we call them The Big Five Skills.
Although much of your child’s learning comes naturally as he plays and experiences life, there are some skills, like reading, that must eventually be taught. That may feel a little scary, but if you’ve taught your child how to pick up his toys or put on his socks, you can teach your child to read, too!
In this post, you’ll learn about the skills for reading readiness, and you’ll discover more than twenty fun ways you can help your preschooler or kindergartner develop in these areas. Let’s dig in!
Print awareness is the understanding that the print on a page represents words that have meaning and are related to spoken language.
To develop this skill:
Letter knowledge enables a child to recognize the letters of the alphabet and to know the names and sounds of each.
To develop this skill:
It’s a big term, but it’s really quite basic. Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and identify the various sounds in spoken words.
To develop this skill:
Listening comprehension is the ability to understand the meaning of words heard and to relate to them in some way. A child with good listening comprehension has a wide vocabulary and a growing understanding of the world around him.
To develop this skill:
Motivation to read is a child’s eagerness and willingness to read.
To encourage your child:
Have you been working to help your child develop these important pre-reading skills? If so, it’s very possible that your child is ready to begin formal reading instruction. But if you’re not sure whether your child is ready, complete this checklist to measure your child’s reading readiness:
After completing this checklist, you’ll be able to identify the pre-reading skills that your child still needs to work on. The All About Reading Pre-reading program makes it easy to fill in the gaps and get your child ready to read. Is your child already ready to read? If so, All About Reading Level 1 is the perfect starting point!
I’m a strong believer in letting kids be kids and not pushing academics too early. But I also know from extensive experience that most kids don’t develop reading readiness skills on their own. The All About Reading Pre-reading program strikes a good balance. In about 15 minutes per day (depending on your child’s attention span and abilities), this easy-to-use curriculum helps children develop all five of the Big Five Skills. The program includes crafts, rhyming and word games, alphabet charts, and lots of playful activities. And if you’ve never met Ziggy, you’re in for a treat!
The majority of a young child’s day should be filled with play, real-life activities, and physical exploration. Add in just a touch of daily intentional instruction in these five reading readiness areas, and your child will have a huge advantage when it comes time to read.
Do you have questions about reading readiness? Post in the comments below or contact us!
Photo credit: Rachel Neumann
Hannah
says:This is great!! My almost 5 year old really just has phonological awareness left to connect the dots. My goal is to work that out by the end of the summer!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceIt sounds like your 5-year-old is doing well, Hannah! Our Fun Ways to Develop Phonological Awareness blog post has fun activities to print for practicing these skills. But if you need additional ideas, just ask. We’re always happy to help!
Erin Knott
says:I love how these big five reading skills are described! Nice to have concrete examples of what reading readiness looks like.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was helpful for you, Erin!
Jacqueline J. Esteron
says:Thank you for this article! It is very helpful to me as I will teach a 5-year old to start reading.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Jacqueline! I’m glad this will be helpful for you.
NJ
says:I am worried to send my child to school he is 6 years old I haven’t been on my game on teaching him to read I got him learning his letters now am afraid that he’s not ready that he’s s way behind on academics to other kids I don’t like to compare kids to other kids but in school and teachers this is what it come down to . I love that you post everything to the break down and am just feeling like am such the worst for my children. I don’t know at this time to let him go to school or just get him caught up and then send him to school.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceOnce your child has mastered these reading readiness skills and you can check off everything in the checklist here, he is ready to begin learning to read. All About Reading level 1 makes Reading Easy to Teach and fun to learn.
Please let me know if you have questions or if I can help you with anything.
Cess Hayashi
says:Thank you for this article. I’m excited to find out more about the All About Reading Pre-reading program and meeting Ziggy!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceLet me know if you have questions, Cess, or need help with placement or anything else.
T J
says:Do you have this available in Spanish? If so, please send me how to find it and download it.
Thank you.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry, no, TJ. We don’t have any of our materials available in Spanish. We are focused on taking the struggle out of learning to read and spell English.
;Maria Cristina Solia
says:can you help me for my child. he is 6 years old, i will be happy if you can give me some books or worsheet for the reading
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceMaria,
We have many printables for reading on our website. You could start with Reading Readiness: The Top 5 Skills on this page to help your child practice the skills necessary for reading success. Then move on to How to Teach Phonograms, as learning the phonograms of English are essential for the ability to read. From there, your child would be ready for Helping Kids Sound Out Words, using what he learned about phonograms to be able to read words.
Temi
says:Thank you so much Robin. I have looked through the link and downloaded those fun materials. I also got some of the books you recommended via Amazon. Looking forward to start using them with her.
I really appreciate your response
Temi
says:Thank you so much. I trust this will help my kid. Please, at what age should a child be able to recognize all the alphabets. I don’t know if I’m pushing my 3 year old too hard.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceTemi,
Most 3-year-olds don’t know the alphabet yet. Most students master the alphabet around age 5. However, it’s not too early to help your child learn letters, as long as you keep it fun and playful. Check out our How to Teach the Alphabet to Preschoolers for lots of fun ideas and printable activities.
Kelsey M Lafleur
says:Thank you! This is a great resource for my pre k kiddo. We are doing pre-reading now and he loves it.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Kelsey!
Tiffany Greene
says:This is a great way to help kids start to enjoy reading and understand it.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Tiffany.
Renatus
says:What strategy can I use to identify children’s readiness to read?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceRenatus,
Students who have mastered the 5 reading readiness skills detailed in this blog post are ready to begin reading.
Liz
says:Thank you for all the tips. We love All About Reading and All About Spelling!
Cathy
says:Thanks for all the wonderful tips and downloads on your site. I have a special needs child who I am trying to help with reading.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are welcome, Cathy. Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with anything.
Tiffany
says:the letter sound app and phonogram app are such a great help with teaching the letters and helping my daughter learn to read.
Che
says:Thank you for sharing your early education knowledge. I’m not a teacher and am assisting a four year old boy learn the alphabet and your expertise is much treasured. Oceans of joy from Cheryl and Marley
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are so welcome, Cheryl! It’s great to hear that you are finding our blog useful as you help this boy. If you ever need anything, please ask.
Abby
says:I can’t wait to get started!
Kristina
says:We started pre-reading today. My son was so excited when Ziggy came out to play. The activity was silly and made my son laugh and was very engaged even tough he’s not quite 3 yet. We look forward to the many adventures we will have learning and having fun together.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you for sharing this, Kristina. I can just picture the laughter and smiles of joy! ?
April Holley
says:Trying my best to encourage my little boy to be a reader. I love reading, but until having a child and researching blogs like this I never realized how much more learning there was to reading other than I loved it!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSo true, April. Reading is such a foundational skill for all other learning! One way to develop a child’s love of reading is to read aloud to them regularly, even after they begin reading themselves.
Jessica Kling
says:We went through about 12 phonics programs before landing on AAR. I love that on top of AAR being so effective, the teacher’s manuals are so clear! Teachers can be dyslexic, too! Thanks for making this as easy as it can be!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are so welcome, Jessica, and it’s wonderful to hear that All About Reading has been such a great fit for you. ?
Sophie Hussey
says:I love teaching my daughter through this program. We both look forward to it every day. In fact, it has been pivotal in our decision to homeschool!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceWhat a compliment, Sophie! It’s very flattering that the enjoyment you and your daughter have with All About Reading factored into your decision to homeschool. Thank you for sharing this!
Tiffany
says:Thank you for that info. We are super excited to start this program. I have 2 struggling readers with dyslexia and I am SO ready to see them accomplish this.
Linda Largent
says:Helpful information, especially for parents of “non-traditional” learners.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGlad this was helpful, Linda!
Kristin
says:Such good advice!
Janelle
says:So excited that I found your company…it gives me hope that my struggling reader will finally move forward.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJanelle,
I’m glad that you now have hope of success! Please know that we are committed to helping you help your child as much as you need. We are available here, by email at [email protected], or by phone at 715-477-1976. If you need anything, please just let us know!
Erin
says:Thank you for this – I did not know that anticipating rhymes was one of the first steps!
Heidi
says:Excited to try this curriculum!
Morgan
says:Such great information!!!
CARLA MARTINS CARVALHO
says:Informações muito importantes para compreendermos e realizarmos atividades correspondentes para que os alunos alcancem os objetivos.
Kristina
says:I am excited to start this program with my son. He watches his older sister learn and he wants to learn as well. Your website has so many awesome ideas and tips. Thank you!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Kristina. It’s great to capture a little one’s desire to learn while still keeping it appropriate for his abilities. I’m glad our website can help you.