Learning to Read

The beginning of Summer vacation from schools in the US may seem like a strange time to talk about learning to read. It’s not.

Back when I was a kid reading instruction didn’t begin until first grade and parents were warned not to try to teach their kids at home. They were told they would probably not do it correctly so their kids would have to “unlearn” what the parents had taught before learning correctly. 

In some California schools books for beginning readers were about Dick and Jane while others were about Bill and Susan. All were boring.

Over the years the state curriculum methods for teaching kids to read changed quite a few times. That probably also happened in other states. And now beginning reading skills are often taught in preschools.

A few decades ago I read a library book (sorry I don’t remember the title or author) about a study that sought to discover what method of teaching reading was most effective.

The authors interviewed the highest functioning students in some of the best universities in the United States about how they had learned to read. 

To the surprise of those conducting the study, the only thing those students had in common was that their parents had read to them every day when they were little kids. 

So if you have kids or nearby grandkids please read to them every day from when they’re learning to talk until they are able to read fluently on their own. And, even then if the kids are willing, reading together can help strengthen family ties.