Reading in kindergarten — these are the opinions
Music classes, sports and tutoring — comprehensive and early support seems to be becoming increasingly important to parents. According to the third HABA education study, in which about 3.000 parents were asked, among other things, about early academic pushing, 81 % clearly reject a schoolification of kindergarten time: they fear that performance-oriented promotion could harm children's development.
This intuitive concern is also supported by scientific data. With regard to learning to read, experts conclude that early instruction is unnecessary and even distracts from more important tasks. You can read all the study results in the report on the third HABA education study.
Priority in kindergarten: being read to!
Children have plenty of time at school to learn to read. Instruction by trained professionals offers ideal conditions for learning writing and reading. Some children have a strong interest in letters and learn to read on their own. You should not force the others to do so. Much more important at this age is to spark a basic interest in books and language, because that makes learning to read at school easier.
Reading stories, picture books and fairy tales is a good way to stimulate the imagination and awaken enthusiasm for reading. And: When being read to, children also expand their vocabulary and get a feel for grammar and sentence structure. In addition, being read to is a great opportunity to calm down, cuddle, and relax, whether in kindergarten or at home with mom and dad.
"What's that say?" – When children want to learn to read
Many children already show a great interest in letters at kindergarten age and can hardly wait to learn to read and write. They increasingly ask things like "What's that say?" or "Can you read that to me?". Words are a mysterious, fascinating world, and if children are interested, you should of course not deny them this world. Instead, you can gently introduce your child to letters and words.
Letters everywhere:
Let them decide for themselves when and how extensively they want to engage with learning to read and, if necessary, provide them with various media: Some children learn with their picture books, others decipher street signs or write their own names. Support them if necessary, but don't demand anything.
B-E-N:A child's own name is usually the entry to learning to read and the first word children can write themselves. This doesn't always have much to do with reading; rather, children recognize a sequence of characters. The meaning of the individual characters often remains a mystery. That's perfectly fine. But of course it makes children proud when they can write their name and sign their own drawings. Praise your child generously when they've managed this little feat.
Teaching reading to kindergarten children
Tips and no-gos
Relax:
It's normal for a child in kindergarten not to be able to read yet. No one expects them to already know everything by the time they start school that they are supposed to learn now. So if your child shows only limited interest in words and letters, that's not a problem.
Let the child be a child:
Kindergarten should be a time for playing and exploring. Pressure to learn to read often has the opposite effect of the intended goal: children shut down and feel pressured. This can later become a problem at school.
Reading aloud:
More important than learning to write in kindergarten is reading aloud. Language games, singing and conversations convey a good understanding of words and train phonemic awareness.
Foster interest:
If your child already enjoys working with words and letters before starting school, there's nothing to stop you from fostering and supporting that interest.
Don't play school:
Interested children should be introduced to reading playfully and without pressure. Leave it up to your child when and how long they want to learn.
Let them try:
Mistakes when reading and writing are completely fine. Give your child pens and paper so they can try writing whenever they feel like it.
