How children learn to read

Learning to read begins very early in life, alongside learning to talk. Babies are fascinated by bright colourful books. If an adult talks about the pictures and reads the words, this helps to develop language skills. The young child also begins to understand that the content of a book never changes. Later on, after much sharing of books, children begin to play read and turn the pages of a favourite story while chanting parts of it aloud.

During this phase your child is remembering word patterns and learning about the language of books. This is a very important part of learning to read. There is no need for actual teaching at this stage: your child's interest in and enjoyment of written language is supported through the regular sharing of books.

Before starting school, some children take the next step and begin to notice letters from their name or recognise a word or two as books are read together. Many children don't, though. This is normal, because children all develop at very different rates.

How reading is taught in school

You may have learnt to read through being taught words on cards. Then, when your teacher decided you knew enough, you were given a book to practise. Even twenty years ago, books for young children often had poor illustrations and very simple language. Some teachers even covered pictures up because they felt looking at pictures was a form of cheating.

Nowadays we recognise that quality texts, where the language sounds good and the illustrations are often stunning, play an important part in developing children's reading skills. Often a whole class is taught to read together through the use of a big book so everyone can see and join in as the teacher points out letters, words and sentences.

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