Learning to read begins at home through everyday interactions with children, long before they attend school. Supporting literacy development as children enter elementary school and progress through grades positively affects their reading ability. The Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast (REL-SE) provides family activities with easy-to-follow instructions to help children practice foundational reading skills at home. Foundational skills include oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Phonological awareness, alphabetic skills and language skills are the best predictors of early reading success (B.E.S.T., Appendix E, p. 206). There are short family videos for tips and support on how to use the activities to help children grow as readers. Using the family activities at home can help children develop language, link sounds to letters, blend letters and word parts to read and write the words and ultimately read for understanding.

Supporting Reading at Home