More for you and your child:   What can I do? Some books you might read together Some things you might do together Why this is important Look at information for: infants & reading toddlers & reading preschoolers & reading children who can read with some help children who read independently

Preschoolers are just beginning to put a lot of information together. They may recognize some letters and know the sounds that they can make. They know that words have meaning-even if they can't decode too many of them.

They are well on their way to reading.

Remember to keep reading out loud to your children. They are never too old for this. By this time, they may want to pretend to read. This is a great sign. Make sure you applaud their work.

Talk to your child as you read together. Ask them about the people in the story. Which ones do they like? Which ones remind them of someone they know?

Ask other questions about the ideas in the book that have no right or wrong answers. For example, you could ask if they might do the same thing if they were in the story.

Make sure that you read things other than books as well. Look at street signs together. Read the comics in the newspaper, or look over the ads.