Good readers are phonemically advanced, comprehend the principles behind the alphabet, and use their reading skills with fluency. They are also expected to have strong vocabularies and grammatical skills while relating reading to their personal experiences.

Obstacles Preventing a Child From Learning To Read

When a child faces challenges in any area, it can affect their reading development. Also, learning how to read starts even before the child gets into school. Children who have some literacy experience from birth always have an advantage in vocabulary development, the development of literacy and print concepts, and understanding reading goals.

Most poor readers have not been exposed to much language activity to develop a solid reading foundation. Some real-life examples include children who have had limited exposure to naptime and bedtime reading.

Children who have limited English skills, those raised in poverty, and those who come from homes where the parents’ reading levels are low may struggle more than others to learn to read. Meanwhile, some children have a good command of oral language and are quite intelligent, and have challenges learning how to read.

How Much Research Has Been Done?

Research shows that the deficits that exist in the development of phoneme awareness skills not only foretell reading difficulties, they also contribute to reading struggles. Although phoneme awareness is vital for proper reading development, it is not enough. 

Children are also expected to develop certain phonic concepts and use the same concepts when reading text.

Even though research supports the value of phonics, phoneme awareness, and the development of automaticity and speed in reading, not much is known about how children develop strategies for reading comprehension and syntactic knowledge. 

Some children who have well-formed abilities for word recognition sometimes find it hard to comprehend what they are reading. In this case, more research into reading comprehension is vital.

Putting the Words To Work

Research also proves to us that reading is language-based. Thus, reading does not improve naturally. For most children, there is a need to teach word recognition, specific decoding, and reading comprehension skills. It has been observed that preschool children have shown more significant learning potential when they are actively reading consistently.

Educators can improve reading development by giving kindergarten children instructions that help them with print concepts. Children can be further supported by being exposed to the purposes of writing and reading, as well as age-appropriate language and vocabulary comprehension skills. 

Concluding Thoughts

Many children find it hard to learn how to read, so grasping these skills should be a core focus among educators. This will boost their chances of learning more and performing better in their studies.