Why don’t we teach preschoolers to read?

This month we are focusing on reading and how we can prepare our little ones to learn to read.

Reading is not a process that comes naturally to children like speaking, which they learn by imitating others. For reading to be taught particularly, a strong foundation of skills must be developed.

Why don’t we teach preschoolers to read?

There are 4 main reasons:

1. Kids need to be playing.

2. Preschool-aged children have a short concentration span. It is generally recognized that a child can concentrate for about 2–3 minutes per year of age. This means that a 3-year-old’s attention span is approximately 6–9 minutes.

3. They need time to for physical, social and emotional development.

4. Pre-reading skills must be developed before we tackle learning to read.

Remember! It is not a race – when last were you asked how old you were when you learned to read?

What is the single most important thing you can do to build a reading foundation?

Read and read and read to your child. Little and often is the key!

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Pre-reading skills is one of the core concepts in our HIPPY Program. The 30-week program is based on children's literature with all the materials, activities, and tools provided to you by HIPPY Halton.

Click here to learn more about what HIPPY Children learn!