Library has series that can make learning to read fun

By Jennifer Nicholson  Rowan Public Library

Labor Day has passed and summer is coming to an end. Schools are back in session, and the kids are getting back into a routine. This is sometimes the time of year when parents wonder where the time has gone as little ones start kindergarten, first grade, middle school or even high school.
As a mother of a 4-year-old, I am now finding myself doing the same thing, wondering when my newborn turn into a preschooler. While I am slowly bracing myself for him to start kindergarten next year, I am also trying to ensure that he is ready for kindergarten. He is already curious about the world he lives in, and especially curious about reading. Yet, to a 4-year-old who already knows his alphabet, making the connection from knowing his letters to putting them together to create words and reading those words is not an easy concept.
Rowan Public Library is proud to introduce Bob Books. These books were created by a kindergarten teacher who wanted to give young children the tools to cross from learning letters to reading words.
These books provide parents and teachers easy-to-follow tips to help encourage and introduce young children to reading. Each series will have about eight to 10 books, while each book will help children become more familiar with sight words and different word concepts, such as rhyming words and complex words.
At the beginning of each book, parents will find helpful tips, as well as the words that will be introduced in that book. While the illustrations are simple and some parents may feel the books are too simple, remember that repetition is key in helping children learn new words.
Another series to help introduce reading to preschoolers is one created by The Child’s World Inc. publishing company. This series features large type and simple sentences and supports a given phoneme. The series is based on current research on how the brain acquires sounds and how that process is applied in learning to read. This series helps children learn how each letter sounds and how to sound out words, and provides key sight words that children need to learn. This is a great way to help children learn phonics.
While reading to your child is one of the best ways to introduce words to his or her vocabulary, simple interaction with parents and other family members is also a great way to broaden and enhance a child’s vocabulary.
The Rowan-Salisbury School System has provided parents free access to a program called Ready Rosie. Parents can download the app or access the Ready Rosie website at https://readyrosie.com/register. Enter your zip code and select the Rowan-Salisbury School System, and create a username and password. It only takes two minutes to complete.
Ready Rosie provides parents and grandparents tips to help build a child’s literacy and vocabulary through everyday play and activities. Have a child who loves race cars? There is a great video of a grandparent teaching a child the words “flip” and “slide” through playing with race cars. Ready Rosie has tips to promote reading while visiting a grocery store. Ready Rosie is a great free and easy program that any parent in Rowan County can access.
Reading to a child is still the best and easiest method to introduce reading concepts. Parents and grandparents can access many great resources through the library that can build literacy and vocabulary. For more information or to check out the Bob Books and other great books, please check out the Rowan Public Library at rowanpubliclibrary.org or by visiting your nearest library location.