"How Do I Boost My Child's Pre-reading Skills?".

PARENT-child relationships; LEARNING; LANGUAGE acquisition; READING; CHILD development; LITERACY; COMPREHENSION; LEARNING disabilities; PRESCHOOL education

This section presents answers by an early childhood consultant to parents' questions on language and literacy development. Q: My son is 3 1/2 years old, and he isn't speaking nearly as much as the other children he plays with. What should I do? A: Chances are, your child is developing language skills quite normally. However, strong oral-language skills are critical to your child's future success in school, as they are the foundation of reading and writing. Therefore, it is a good idea to look at basic aspects of his language use now. If there is a problem and you detect it early, you might actually prevent future academic difficulties. Q: How can I help my child learn the alphabet? She is 4 years old and knows only the first letter of her name. A: There is no doubt that learning the letters of the alphabet is an important pre-reading skill. Make it fun and easy at home, and you will go a long way to helping your child meet with early success at school.