Do reading skills begin in first grade?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 13, 2010 -- Reading is essential to learning. O the vast worlds you can experience through reading. Go to China, hitch a ride on a camel, or visit the wild west. Any of these places are exciting, but will your child be excited to read about them? Desire to learn anything comes from your child's aptitude to learn about life. His or her aptitude comes from your attitude and the moral, social, and physical environment of your home.

Why does the home make such a difference? From personal experience of teaching in low-income children, I know how much they want to please and want to hug you or hate you simply because they do not have the parental guidance at home to ground them. Many will argue, be rude to others, only think of themselves, or be so emotionally unstable, that attempting to teach them anything is useless. They are so marred by the affects of their home life, that their brains cannot focus on what they need to learn.

Did you know that most prison wardens are looking at your child's test scores for reading? Yes, its true. Reading test scores are used to determine the number of beds that will be needed in a prison in the next few years. Wow! How do reading scores tell them that? If your child has a problem reading, will they automatically go to prison? Is that the right interpretation, NO! However, the interpretation, I believe, says more about what is happening at home than what is happening at school. Teachers are doing their best to educate children. They are using new curricula, they are going to conferences that help them learn more on how your child learns, there are tutoring companies out there to help your child, there are churches and community groups reaching out to those who need academic help, however, it is making minimal difference. Why? Because reading and learning desire start at home. Children who have no desire to learn may generally come from houses where the parents are not a part of their lives be it for death, imprisonment, abandonment, or divorce. See, if a child can't read and is not testing well, maybe there is a learning disability that needs to be addressed, but maybe there is a time with parents issue that needs to be addressed also.
Children who spend time with their parents, playing ball, sewing, going to a park, or reading together, tend to feel accepted for who they are, they feel a great deal of self -worth and are ready to tackle that big scary world. Also, when that world deals them a wrong card, they will have a solid source to turn to, parents who care and are willing to help carry the burden.

Children whose parents are not getting along well, whose parent(s) are in prison, or whose parents simply do not spend time with them, will feel less secure, can act out their tensions at school, and are not focused learners. They do not have a strong emotional base at home on which to build their lives.

When I was teaching, I felt that if parents and homes could be secure places for children, then I could really teach the children coming to my classroom. When they are not secure places for learning, then the teacher becomes the parent and that is NOT his or her job. Its really a three person team: parent, child, and teacher. When this team works together that child is in for success. When the team has one member that cannot participate for lack of personal ability to take emotional care of that child, then that child is at greater risk and the other children in the classroom are not getting what they need out of the teacher when he or she spends most of her time being a parent instead of a teacher.

So in order to get our children to explore the world and be all that God has created them to be, what is the solution? Well, first, we have to encourage and educate parents that love is spelled: t-i-m-e. This is actually one of the five love languages discussed in Dr. Gary Chapman's series of books on the topic. Time is especially important for children. Parents should spend time reading to their child. Reading to your child is the MOST important component for reading and learning success! Parents should also spend time singing, playing ball, going to special or historical places, taking them to church, giving them a moral compass for their lives and set them on a strong path to learning and personal success.
There are also some more specific things to do like:
1. Listen to children's songs like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" that emphasize a certain letter's sound of the alphabet, in this case: "R". You can also count the number of times the word "row" comes in a row. Both of these activities improve the brain's ability to remember and then produce the sounds of the letters.

2. Play a variety of musical instruments to stimulate the brain to listen to different sounds and distinguish between the sounds heard. Doing so gives the brain the practice and neural connections it needs to determine the sounds of letters and words.
3. Listen to a variety of sounds. See your child can pick out all the sounds he or she hears on a listening walk down the street, in the park, or in the back yard. What can you hear? A robin, a bus, a bulldozer, or a plane. Not only are these things exciting for children, but they are great listening opportunities.
4. Take time to listen to music for the sake of music and enjoyment. It doesn't have to be nap time to rest and take a break. Teach yourself and your child the art of relaxation through simple listening to music.

5. Connect words and pictures. When you are playing make sure to introduce your child to new vocabulary words that describe what you are doing together. Then, point out those words in books, newspapers, signs, or on refrigerator magnets, anywhere. Even though they are not reading, yet, they are getting the idea that words, pictures, and letters go together.
6. Dance! Movement actually helps your child's brain create new neural connections that will be there for years to come. It also helps your child orientate himself or herself in space and time. Later her or she will know exactly where they are on the page and be able to focus on the task at hand.

These suggestions aren't hard and can be done in the car on the way to the store, maybe you should dance all the way to the door!! The most important thing is TIME! Do not let your child become like the alternative school students I saw a couple of years ago while substitute teaching. I tried to explan the fun aspects of the World of Coke museum to one high school girl. I told her that the coke comes flying through the air in a solid stream and lands in your cup! The result on her face, a blank stare. I couldn't believe how little someone thought of her not to spend the time that she needed to really learn and be excited about the world around her and keeping it going in a positive way. Perhaps her parents were on drugs, perhaps they were just not able to be there for her, but someone (outside of school, and also her teachers) should have taken interest in her otherwise the light would not have gone out of her eyes.