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Reading is an enjoyable activity that continually pays dividends throughout a child's life, but it's also the cornerstone of future academic success. Developing fluency with reading at a young age provides children with the tools for absorbing new information and thinking critically, but these abilities don't develop on their own. First, young children need to build the critical skills that make reading easy, effective, and fun, according to the English tutors at FasTracKids in New York City’s East Village.

3 Essential Reading Skills Young Children Need

1. Phonetic Recognition

english tutorLearning to associate a letter with a verbal sound is one of the first skills most children learn. This ability allows the reader to recognize words they already know, while also giving them the capacity to sound out and identify new ones, which is crucial for vocabulary-building and fluency. Over time, being able to read unfamiliar words phonetically gives a child a sense of mastery, which often makes reading much more enjoyable.

2. Understanding Context

When encountering an unfamiliar word, students often need to do much more than sound it out. Successful readers learn how to infer a new word's meaning using context clues, a skill that will give them confidence along with growing comprehension abilities.

3. Self-Monitoring

As beginning readers work their way through a text, they will eventually get confused and lose comprehension. This is a natural part of the learning process—as long as they can understand that they aren't comprehending the material and know how to figure it out rather than simply moving forward. The ability to self-monitor is essential for both academic study and enjoyable leisure reading.

The English tutors at FasTracKids have extensive experience and a proven approach to helping children of any age develop reading proficiency and mastery. Visit their website or Facebook to learn more about how they help unlock your child's true potential, or call (212) 375-9500 to speak with an English tutor in their East Village location today.

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