Ideas about the best ways to teach children are constantly evolving and hopefully improving. For example, now we know that it's more effective to teach reading and writing together, with an emphasis on meaning rather than just the technical skills.In the 1980s education research showed that writing instruction helps children learn reading skills faster. This reversed the notion that young children could not write until they mastered basic reading skills. As a result, reading and writing are now often taught together, improving students' achievement in both areas.
One of the most important parts of knowing how to write well is to feel comfortable doing it. Parents can help preschoolers develop reading and writing skills by encouraging them to write more. Here are some ways to encourage the "write stuff" from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education:
- Show children that you write often to make lists, take down messages, write notes to school, write letters to friends.
- Write to your child: put a note in a lunch bag, make a birthday poster, send a postcard from work.
- Encourage young children to get ready to write. They can scribble, draw pictures, make designs with letters.
- Play writing and spelling games: have family spelling bees, do crossword puzzles, play Scrabble, play waiter or waitress.
- Explain that math problems are a form of writing: that 2 + 3 = 5 is a sentence.
- Talk about why people write. Are they giving step-by-step instructions, telling a story, describing how something looks, or trying to convince someone to do something?
Free Brochure
For ideas on how you can help your children with their reading and writing, you can request a free Read*Write*Now kit by calling 1-800-USA-Learn. For other information about reading and writing, you can call the National Library of Education, at the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, at 1-800-424-1616.(NAPSI)
