Improving Reading and Writing Skills in Young Children

Writing is a complex process with many interconnected components.

Reading is a critical component of your child’s emotional and intellectual growth, and strong reading abilities will set your child up for success in a variety of ways later in life, including the enhancement of their abilities to utilize skills involving language association, reasoning, judgment, and cause-and-effect relationships.

When writing, children must combine the elements of vocabulary, grammar, and mental processing in order to successfully produce a physical product through the additional learned practices of handwriting or typing the actual content. Additionally, because young students cannot simply sit down and produce the perfect draft, children must also learn how to revise and edit their work. It’s all a lot for young children to consider.

As a result, the development of exceptional reading and writing skills means a lot of practice and language exposure for children early on in their lives.

Contents

  • The Importance of Reading and Writing Skills in Today’s World
  • How to Improve Your Child’s Reading and Writing Skills

The Importance of Reading and Writing Skills in Today’s World

How important are reading and writing skills in an increasingly digital world? More important than ever.

The practices of reading and writing are intricately linked to critical thinking, and they also have implications for performance across all areas of the school curriculum—from history and literature to the hard sciences. Reading and writing are crucial skills of modern life, and it’s essential that children grow comfortable with the ongoing task of strengthening their reading and writing skills for the rest of their academic and professional lives.

How can parents help their children improve their reading and writing skills early? Below are a few simple tips to get started before the first day of school.

How to Improve Your Child’s Reading and Writing Skills

Help your child get started.
Even the most seasoned author can be intimidated by a blank page. Children may naturally feel more comfortable with reading and writing as they get going, but it’s important for parents to be able to assist them in learning the first few words or sentences of a text. Ask your child a thought-provoking question to inspire a writing topic, and help your child make a list or mind-map of ideas related to the topic he or she wishes to write about. It’s also important to get rid of the shame of not being able to write the ideal statement—remind your child that writing is FUN, and, more importantly, an incredible mode of self-expression.

Make reading a fun experience.
There is a reason that good writers are also voracious readers. The more a child reads, the more vocabulary he or she will be introduced to in context—and as a result, more words are learned. Reading also exposes children to a variety of word choices and sentence patterns that they might apply to their own writing. Make reading a fun experience by incorporating visuals such as pictures or films to accompany each reading.

Teach writing through manageable, diverse examples.
Through exposure to more diverse literature, children will gain a more complete understanding of their world and the people around them. Strive to expose your child to short pieces of text from a range of genres, authors, and regions.