Reading research has determined that there are six skills children must know before they can learn to read.  Below we name these skills, and offer a very simple tip that you can use with your child.

Print motivation means interest in and enjoyment of books.
Tip: It is most important that your daily reading time with your child is a happy time for you both. 

Vocabulary means knowing the names of things.
Tip: Point out familiar and unfamiliar things as you come across them, and tell your child the name for them. Call them by their real names, rather than finding an "easier" word.

Letter knowledge is learning that letters look different, and have different names and sounds.
Tip: Point out and identify the letters in the street signs you and your child see every day.  Then, as your child becomes mor letter-savvy, encourage her to do the same.

Print awareness means learning that in English we read from left to right, and from top to bottom.
Tip: Trace your finger along the text in a picture book while reading to your child.

Phonological awareness means the ability to hear and manipulate the smaller sounds in words.
Tip: Sing and say rhymes with your child.  Learning that there are different sounds in words can be as simple as singing a word where each syllable has a different note. 

Narrative skills means a child's ability to understand and tell stories.
Tip: Read favorite books again and again.  This is great skill building.