The fundamentals of reading are learned long before a child is ready for elementary school. An infant, or child that is 1 year of age of younger, first begins to learn about reading when you talk or sing to her during every day activities. Give an infant baby books, or books that are made out of cloth or cardboard, with bright pictures. The child will be stimulated by the tactile sensation of holding a book, and the bright happy pictures. Ask the infant questions, such as "What's this?" when looking at a book and reading it to her. As an infant learns the words, she begins to associate them with objects or meanings. When she learns the answer and can say it, you have increased her vocabulary. Another way to help her learn to read is to point out large signs and read them to her when you are out on a walk. This helps the child learn how to recognize the shapes of letters.
Toddlers, children ages 2 and 3, enjoy listening to their parents read bedtime stories. Young children in this age group like repetition and may request the same story to be read every night. Show the child the book as you read it to help her connect the pictures in the book with the words that she hears. Another way to help a toddler to read is to place alphabet magnets on the refrigerator and let her play with the letters. Spell out simple words with the alphabet magnets and read them aloud to help her learn that the letters each have their own sound, and are strung together in a certain way to form a word.
A preschool child, at the age of 4, will start to ask you to read a word when she sees it printed on something, such as a cereal box. Give a preschool age child a book that has labeled pictures. This type of set-up helps her learn how to connect the word with the object. Young children in this age group often enjoy playing at writing. This can be encouraged by giving a child crayon or pencils and a pad of paper to draw on. You can even teach her how to draw the letters to spell out her name, or start with smaller words like mom and dad.
Starting at age 5, children attend elementary school. Young children in this age group can still benefit from having stories read to them at bedtime. Make a fun trip out of visiting the library, and do it on a regular basis. The young child will learn that books are not just for information, but they can be read for fun. Let her pick out the books that she wants to read. Kindergartners learn about books and should know how to turn a page in a book, how to hold the book properly, and what words look like. Go over the alphabet, and teach her how to sound out the words phonetically according to the letters in the word. This skill helps a young child learn how to say unfamiliar words, which in turn can help her recognize the word and its meaning.