Reading – an important foundational skill that you need at preschools in Singapore
Reading is a foundational skill that provides the avenue to learning especially at preschools in Singapore.
In the article, ‘Learning to Read: A Call from Research to Action‘, Dr G. Reid Lyon mentions that the failure to read impairs the preschooler’s ability to spell and write.
This, as a result, hinders learning in other subject areas. Moreover, when preschool students in Singapore have to exercise great effort to read, they become disinterested in learning.
It is then pertinent for parents in Singapore to equip their kids with the necessary reading strategies so that they do well in preschool.
So, what can you do to jumpstart your preschooler’s reading journey in Singapore?
Related: My 5-Year-Old Kid Still Can’t Read. Should I Sign Him Up For a Reading Program?
Read aloud to your preschooler
The effectiveness of reading aloud has been statistically proven in language development as it promotes early literacy skills from the preschool age.
This age-old practice is the simplest, most straightforward way to help your preschooler reach his/her potential.
Reading aloud to your children as early as their preschool years helps them to recognise sounds and letters. Preschoolers who are read to understand how stories work and they are exposed to a wide range of vocabulary.
Reading aloud also builds motivation, curiosity and memory in preschool children.
The MindChamps Read-Along app which you can download from the App Store is a useful tool that you can use to read aloud with your preschooler.
You can model reading aloud for your prechooler with the ‘read aloud’ function and have them record their own reading later on as they practice reading.
Each book also includes fun hands-on activities such as ‘Expand your mind’ and ‘Mix and Match’ that you can use to work with your child after reading.
Read also: Homeschooling vs Attending Preschool in Singapore
Model good reading habits for preschoolers
Your preschooler looks up to you as a role model and will absorb everything that you do. Another way to develop your child’s reading skills is to model good reading behaviour.
Once ingrained, these good reading habits can last them from preschool to adulthood.
One popular publisher Scholastic, advises parents to surround themselves with different reading material such as books, newspapers and magazines.
Do also make regular trips to the many libraries or bookstores in Singapore with your child and teach them the art of book browsing.
Without even having to buy or borrow books, your preschooler will look forward to each trip as a special treat and this will build excitement in reading when they see books.
Make sure to also have high-quality discussions with your preschool child as they read their books. These discussions will help them to understand what is read and enable them to enjoy the content.
Discussions can start with the simple recalling of the book content to inferencing and predicting what a character is about to do in the story.
Read also: Ultimate Checklist: Choosing The Best Preschool in Singapore
Send your preschool child to enrichment classes in Singapore for formal instruction
Finally, if you find it difficult to provide a literacy-rich home environment for your preschoolers in Singapore, consider sending him to reading enrichment classes.
In order for your child to decode and develop fluency in reading, they need consistent practice. The best way to receive this practice in Singapore would be to attend enrichment classes at the preschool stage.
Formally trained preschool teachers from Singapore can help identify the reading needs of your child and target a reading programme to suit him/her.
One such programme that MindChamps Singapore offers is the MindChamps Reading Programme for kids aged 3 to 7 years old.
This reading programme, voted excellent by 98% of MindChamps Singapore parents, prepares your child from preschool to primary school, and ensures that your child develops the eight essential skills of reading.
These include giving precise phonics instruction and using written and oral comprehension techniques that will help boost your child’s understanding of what is read. In this programme, an intricate feedback system complete with regular literacy assessments is also used to monitor your child’s growth in reading.
Cultivate the good habit of reading in your child with the MindChamps Reading Programme in Singapore.
Book a complimentary Literacy Assessment for your child now!