15 Simple Ways to Encourage Reading in Preschoolers

I’m one of those parents who wish my kids could stay little forever.  Yes, the days are long.  Really long, somedays.  But I am already saddened that my son will be heading to kindergarten next year for a full day.  I wish I could freeze the sweet moments where the boys are playing Legos and Abby is happily waddling through the house.  But, I have realized that there are bittersweet moments to watching your children grow up.  They learn how to ride a bike, comb their hair, offer to vacumn because it’s fun, and one of the most treasured moments I have had this year is watching my oldest, Aiden, learn to read.  I love peeking in at him while he is tucked in to bed and he is snuggled with his stuffed penguin with one of his favorite reads right now, Pete the Cat.  I love watching him “play school” and read aloud Green Eggs and Ham to his students (aka little brother and sister).  I love watching him open mailed letters and understand the words that are written on the card.  It truly is an amazing sight when you watch your little one read.  Today, I’m sharing some super simple ways to encourage reading in preschoolers.  You don’t have to be a former teacher or super mom to do these.  Trust me, they are simple, simple tips and strategies to incorporate into your everyday life.

15 Simple Ways to Encourage Reading in Preschoolers

1.  Keep Books Everywhere.  We have books placed in almost every room of the house.  They can be easily accessed no matter what room we are in.  When the kids are looking for something to do, they can always easily grab a book and sit down and read.  I am one to say that you can never have enough books!

2.  Read every single night (or find a time in the day that is your  special “reading time”).  I hear this over and over again from educators that this is one of the most critical (and easy) thing that we can do as parents.  We read EVERY single night and before every nap and trust me, our kids won’t let us forget!

3.  Practice letters and letter sounds OVER and OVER and OVER!  Have fun learning letters:)  Teach the alphabet song.  Do alphabet puzzles.  Read alphabet books.  Practice writing letters in sugar or salt.  Make the letters with Play-Doh.  Watch a “letter” movie.  Make letter crafts.

4.  Teach children simple songs and rhymes.  We have a really old Mother Goose book from when I was a child that my boys love hearing the silly nonsense rhymes from.  Play rhyming games and sing little “catchy” songs with motions.

5.  Encourage writing.  My son loves to “write” mail, stories, cards, and make his own books.  We have papers all over the house with random notes on it that he has written–he’s a little like his mom, the list-writing queen!

6.  This is a tough one for us busy parents to do, but MODEL reading and writing.  It’s okay to read a book or a magazine in front of them (if you can find the quietness to do it!).  Make lists and write cards in front of them.  Show them the value that reading and writing bring to your life.

7.  Point to Words as You Read.  Show them that there is a one-to-one match between spoken and written word.

8.  Head to the library.  Take some time every week or two to discover new books and new genres together.  Check out if your library has story time that is one of our favorite things to do!

9.  Have a wide variety of books available to your children.  Series books.  Non-fiction books.  Fictional books.  Books with no words.  Pop-Up books.  Song books.  Poetry books.

10.  Point out letters and words in everyday life.  For example, the STOP sign, letters on the cereal box, friends’ names, words on a menu, words on their clothes, etc.

11.  Make up stories.  Use your imaginations and have fun!

12.  Ask questions as you read.  Make predictions.  Retell stories.  

13.  Use recommended reading apps and resources on a tablet, such as downloadable BOB books or the Homer app!

14.  Teach the sight words.  Use sight word readers.  Play sight word games.

15.  Reread and reread the same books over again.  You all know what I’m talking about.  The book that has to be read over and over and over.  Rereading a book over and over again helps words and concepts concrete in a child’s mind.

• Alphabet Toys.  Some of our favorites include:  Melissa & Doug Alphabet Train Floor Puzzle, Melissa & Doug Alphabet Wooden Art Puzzle, LeapFrog Phonics magnetic set, and an Alphabet Floor Play Mat.
• Literacy Games.  Some of our favorites include:  Zingo Sight Words and simple Alphabet Bingo.
• I know it seems silly to recommend a DVD to help learn to read, but I truly believe that these Leapfrog movies are wonderful (because we all know that we need a little television once in awhile!):  LeapFrog: Letter Factory and LeapFrog: Talking Words Factory or you can get a DVD set here:  LeapFrog: Learning DVD Set
• Another helpful tool/toy that is used DAILY in this house is our LeapFrog LeapReader.  Some of our favorite books include: the Learn to Read series, Get Ready for Kindergarten!, and Things That Go! (Seriously we have used this book so much I have had to tape it several times over again!)
• There are lots of wonderful iPad apps that are great to promote literacy and encourage reading.  One app that we have loved and recommend to use to help learn literacy skills is Homer.
• Some super simple books to start with once they began to read are the Bob Books (now available in Kindle edition as well!).  There are several stages of the BOB Books, including BOB Books: Pre-Reading Skills.  To learn sight words, our Sight Words Reading Pack was a great tool!  And now, we are loving some of the simple I Can Read books.  Some of our favorites include Mac and Cheese, the Pete the Cat series, the Charlie the Ranch Dog series, and the Little Critter series.  We also love that the I Can Read books come in our movie favorites, such as Frozen.
• I also recommend a nice comfortable reading spot such as a beanbag chair or big floor pillows to allow your child to have a little quiet, spot to relax and read.

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