A child becomes a reader-birth through preschool

The road to becoming a reader begins the day a child is born and continues through the end of third grade. At that point, a child must read with a feeling of ease and understanding to take advantage of the learning opportunities in fourth grade and beyond-in school and in life. Learning to read and write starts at home, long before children go to school. Very early, children begin to learn about the sounds of spoken language when they hear their family members talking, laughing, and singing and when they respond to all of the sounds that fill their world. They begin to understand written language when they hear adults read stories to them and see adults reading newspapers, magazine and books for themselves. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and caregivers, this information is for you. Your role in setting your child on the road to becoming a successful reader and writer does not end when she or he begins kindergarten.