How can we help as parents for our children to accomplish reading and writing skills.

September 8 is the official date marked by UNESCO as the international literacy day.  Literate as stated in Merriam - Webster dictionary is to be able to read and write.   Ourworldindata.org states that “While only 12% of the people in the world could read and write in 1820, today the share has reversed: only 17% of the world population remains illiterate.” Yet, there are many challenges ahead to keep working on literacy aspects around the world.   Even if people are able to read and write, education today is faced with the big challenge of working with these abilities in order to improve reading comprehension skills, spelling and writing abilities.

In order for students to excel in math, science, history, geography and other subjects, reading skills must be developed thoroughly.   How can we help as parents for our children to accomplish such important skills?

Research has shown that students learn about reading before they even enter school through observations and example.  It is important that even if you are not an avid reader, you set time on a daily basis to show your children that you enjoy reading magazines, books, articles, or any other materials that we may be surrounded with.  Parents who read daily to their children create emotional bonds that will become important during their lives but also helps them excel in the reading abilities much needed for their academic future.

The following are simple ideas to help your child with his or her reading and writing:

While reading their favorite story, you run your finger under the words being read for the child to distinguish print and the movement required to read a sentence.   It is important to show them that reading can be done for pleasure and to obtain information or answers to our questions. 

Make sure that your home provides newspapers, magazines and different kinds of books.

Hold simple, engaging conversations with your child using regular vocabulary.  When children are able to explain and describe events or situations they will actually become better writers.   To do this, students need to listen to interesting conversations and explanations that will help them develop vocabulary and a good sense of sentence structure.

Model reading in your everyday activities, signs on the road when driving, labels when doing your grocery shopping or even reading your shopping list outloud. 
Regular reading is the basic step in order to become a good writer.   Once your child is reading fluently, there are many things that can be done for him or her to work on their writing abilities.

Play games, crossword puzzles or any games that encourage writing are excellent sources of practicing spelling and improving vocabulary.

Use different materials to write with.   Change from pencil to pen to chalk on the sidewalk. 

Use technology wisely.   Children today are surrounded with it so as ...it is to control their time on the tablets and computers you can always give an additional 10 minute use if it is going to be used to write a letter or an email to someone.      Please keep in mind that writing is an activity that has been shown to have numerous benefits to the brain and the body.

“Writing by hand is also shown to increase memory and retention. The act of putting pen to paper activates areas of the brain that helps student increase their comprehension. It also involves more senses and motor neurons than when typing on a keyboard.” (1)

I encourage you to continue in this wonderful journey if you already work on this or to implement certain activities as of today if you are just beginning to discover this amazing challenge.    More likely than not you will discover the joy of spending valuable time with your child and at the same time building the road to a world of academic accomplishments.


(1)Unknown. (May 06, 2015 ). 5 REASONS WRITING BY HAND IS GOOD FOR THE BRAIN AND FOR WELL-BEING. Sept. 7, 2018, de Oxford Learning Sitio web: https://www.oxfordlearning.com/writing-by-hand-is-good-for-the-brain/


Annette Muench Garcés

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