With all the homeschool curriculum choices, the lesson plans, the organization, the planning of the calendar, you know, putting the whole homeschool program together, the time involved, my goodness the time involved, the one area of education that can’t be overlooked is teaching the child to read. Get them to develop good reading habits. Reading is the lynch pin of all education. When a child masters reading and gains an enjoyment of this powerful skill, they have built a foundation on which they can learn any subject. When you have learned to read, you explore any subject your mind takes you to.

Think about it, reading is the basis for understanding any subject matter. Even learning mathematics is based upon the ability to read each chapter and it’s instructions. Reading and comprehension is a must. Even beyond the classroom, reading instructions on operating or assembling something, to navigating with a map involves this skill.

If you are having trouble getting your child interested in reading, try first to find out what interests them. What you think they should be interested in may not be what they are necessarily interested in. Early on, take them to the library and just watch what section and types of books they gravitate to. Remember, I said just watch. No need to suggest. Just watch.

Encourage, encourage, encourage. Everyone likes to be praised for successes they have. Your child is no different. Teaching reading is no different.

Also, oft overlooked when working with children and reading is the lack of vocabulary development. Be sure to combine vocabulary building with their reading and match the child’s vocabulary level with the books you want them to explore. Many times children get discouraged from reading because they get frustrated by not knowing the meaning of words. Vocabulary building is fun and can be very humorous. Taking words and putting them into funny and ridiculous sentences helps the child learn.

Reading is a foundation worth building. A foundation that carries the child through all subjects, and all their life. Take some time to know how to teach reading. It's a good investment.

Mary Joyce is a former educator, successful homeschool parent, and has written many articles on teaching your child at home for the Homeschool-Curriculum-4u website. Please visit (http://www.homeschool-curriculum-4u.com) for more of Mary's articles, resources on homeschool, ideas, and curriculum information.

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