Your child is about to start a monumental new chapter: kindergarten! The summer before that special first day of school can be instrumental in preparing your little one for a successful year (and years to come).
Though students entering kindergarten aren’t required to be readers already, your child can definitely benefit from learning to read — which is so crucial to academic success — before jumping into school. To gauge if he’s ready, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Does my child recognize most of the letters of the alphabet in print, and know the letter sounds?
2. Does my child show a desire for learning to read?
3. Does my child have a strong sense of phonological awareness? (That includes the ability to rhyme and count syllables.)
If you answered yes to all three questions, your child is probably ready to get started! A great place to begin is with the First Little Readers Guided Reading Pack (Levels A-C). This set provides a curated collection of books at a level perfect for emerging readers, important because too-difficult texts can lead to a whole lot of frustration for your child, which isn’t fun for anyone.
For context, students move through certain levels of text that increase in difficulty in every grade. Many schools encourage kindergarten students to move through Scholastic Guided Reading Levels A, B, and C — the first beginner reading levels that usually involve plenty of sight words and predictable or repeated phrases — during the school year.