Preparing Young Kids to Be Readers

What can I do to help prepare my young children to become readers? -- Worried
Answer: If you have preschoolers, don't overlook nursery rhymes in your effort to put them on the reading path. First of all, children enjoy hearing the rhythm of the words, which gives them an appreciation for the joy of reading. Nursery rhymes are also short and have enough action to get and keep children's attention. Furthermore, because there is so much repetition in these rhymes, your children soon will be able to anticipate what comes next and to pretend read. Your children also are learning rhymes that are universally known.
Encourage your children to memorize some of the popular rhymes by repeatedly saying the rhymes with them. Learning these rhymes is an excellent way for them to learn how to memorize material. Start with rhymes that have accompanying hand gestures, as they make learning rhymes easier.