Encourage Literacy to Start the School Year
According to the most recent version of The Nation's Report Card, produced by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the average reading and math scores of 13-year-olds in the United States in 2022-23 fell by 4 and 9 points each as compared to the 2019-20 scores. Literacy is an enormous part of the picture for these scores for students nationwide, and there are many avenues to reading at home and in schools.
Literacy involves reading and writing skills. This process begins very early in life as infants and toddlers learn how to say sounds and put them together as words, building towards symbolic and visually reinforced systems of reading and writing.
Because daily reading (both active reading and listening) is crucial to literacy development, here are three approaches to reading more for parents and clinicians:
- All kinds of books are helpful. Children can learn reading and other literacy skills from graphic novels and audiobooks, too.
- Book club! There are many books or book series that a family or a community group can enjoy together. Building time and discussion around reading can help to reinforce skills.
- Not all reading involves books. Cooking requires written recipes, and board games involve reading, following directions, and auditory/visual recall, among many other skills. Consider how many activities require reading, and let your imagination do the rest!
If you have concerns about your child's reading or writing abilities, please reach out to a Sidekick therapist today.
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