Skills of a Great reader/writer

“LOOK! I wrote something”, one of my 5-year-olds squealed out with excitement. To some, this may not seem like a big deal, but for weeks I had been working with a group of kindergarteners to learn to Read and Write their first words to string into a sentence. This is a milestone that made me so proud and happy for them as this marked the beginning of a skill they would use for the rest of their lives. 

Once students have the fundamentals of Reading and Writing and are past the stage of learning to read, parents often ask me how they can help their child become a better reader and writer? Below, are my top 4 skills for becoming a better reader and writer.

Better Reader

1. Read every day for 20-30 minutes
2. Read a variety of books, magazines, novels, newspapers, non-fiction print
3. Look up unknown words and their pronunciation and meaning; try to use them in your everyday conversation if possible.
4. The most fun of all; Find literature that interests you! You are more likely to continue reading the text if you want to read it. 

Better Writer

1. READ!!! The more you read, the more vocabulary your child is exposed to and can use those newly acquired words in their writing.
2. Use your imagination. What better way to express how you feel is by being creative and making things up! Encourage your kids to think out of the box and take chances with their writing. Write about all types of topics; fiction, non-fiction reports, comics, you name it!
3. If your child gets hung up on spelling, let that be the last thing that they correct in their writing so they can focus on getting words on paper. Once their writing is complete, teach them to go back and circle all the words they got stuck on so they can correct them with your help. 
4. Create an EZ writing dictionary. I used to love my student-created dictionary when I was younger because it gave me a sense of ownership over the words that were included and the words that I added since I used them often in my writing. 

These are just a few great tips to start helping your child become better Readers and Writers over time.