A Child Becomes a Reader - Proven Ideas From Research For Parents - Kindergarten through Grade 3

Sep 22, 2026

A Child Becomes a Reader offers research-based guidance for parents to support reading and writing from birth through third grade. It explains how children develop spoken language, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and the ability to spell and write. Parents receive practical home activities matched to kindergarten, first grade, and second/third grades, along with criteria for recognizing quality instruction and a glossary of helpful terms, plus recommended resources and organizations for further support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages48

Reading Time2 h 1 min

AccessFree to download

1 Introduction

3 The Building Blocks of Reading and Writing

9 Kindergarten

What todo at home

What to look for in kindergarten classrooms

What children should be able todo by the end of kindergarten

19 First Grade

What todo at home

What to look for in first grade classrooms

What children should be able todo by the end of first grade

27 Second and Third Grades

What todo at home

What to look for in second and third grade classrooms

What children should be able todo by the end of second grade

What children should be able todo by the end of third grade

36 Some Helpful Terms to Know

38 Bibliography

38 Resources for Parents and Caregivers

A Child Becomes a Reader PROVEN IDEAS FROM RESEARCH FOR PARENTS KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 3 Third Edition KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 3 A Child Becomes a Reader PROVEN IDEAS FROM RESEARCH FOR PARENTS Produced by RMC Research Corporation, Portsmouth, New Hampshire Authors Bonnie B. Armbruster, Ph. D. , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fran Lehr, M.A. , Lehr & Associates, Champaign, Illinois Jean Osborn, M. Ed. , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A Child Becomes a Reader Proven Ideas From Research for Parents Kindergarten through Grade 3 This publication was produced under National Institute for Literacy Contract No. ED-00CO-0093 with RMC Research Corporation. Sandra Baxter served as the contracting officer’s technical representative. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Institute for Literacy. No official endorsement by the National Institute for Literacy of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise in this publication is intended or should be inferred. The National Institute for Literacy, an agency in the Federal government, is authorized to help strengthen literacy across the lifespan. The Institute works to provide national leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction forchildren, youth, and adults by sharing information on scientifically based research. Sandra Baxter, Director Lynn Reddy, Deputy Director The Partnership for Reading, a project administered by the National Institute for Literacy, is a collaborative effort of the National Institute for Literacy, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the U. S. Department of Education, and the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services to make evidence-based reading research available to educators, parents, policy makers, and others with an interest in helping all people learn to read well. The Partnership for Reading acknowledges editorial support from C. Ralph Adler and Elizabeth Goldman, design support from Lisa T. Noonis, and production support from Robert Kozman, all of RMC Research Corporation. To order copies of this booklet, contact the National Institute for Literacy at EdPubs, PO Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Call 800-228-8813 or e-mail [edpubs@inet.ed.gov. This](edpubs@inet.ed.gov. This) booklet can also be downloaded at the National Institute for Literacy web site, [www.nifl.gov](www.nifl.gov). 2006 Contents 1 Introduction 3 The Building Blocks of Reading and Writing 9 Kindergarten 9 What todoat home 12 What to look for in kindergarten classrooms 15 What children should be able todo by the end of kindergarten 19 First Grade 19 What todoat home 20 What to look for in first grade classrooms 24 What children should be able todo by the end of first grade 27 Second and Third Grades 27 What todoat home 28 What to look for in second and third grade classrooms 31 What children should be able todo by the end of second grade 34 What children should be able todo by the end of third grade 36 Some Helpful Terms to Know 38 Bibliography 38 Resources for Parents and Caregivers INTRODUCTION The road to becoming a reader begins the day a child is born and continues through the end of third grade. At that point, a child must read with ease and understanding to take advantage of the learning opportunities in fourth grade and beyond—in school and in life. Learning to read and write starts at home, long before children go to school. Very early, children begin to learn about the sounds of spoken language when they hear their family members talking, laughing, and singing, and when they respond to all of the sounds that fill their world. They begin to understand written language when they hear adults read stories to them and see adults reading newspapers, magazines, and books for themselves. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, and caregivers, this booklet is for you. Your role

FAQs

What is the book’s overall goal for children from birth to third grade?

The book aims to guide parents in helping children become confident, capable readers who can read with ease and understanding by the end of third grade so they can benefit from later learning opportunities.

Which foundational skills does the book say children need to learn to read and write?

It highlights building spoken language, learning print and books, developing phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge, using phonics and letter-sound relationships, being able to read and understand words, spelling and writing, developing fluency, and building vocabulary.

How does the booklet help parents at different grade levels?

It provides activities parents can do at home for kindergarten, first grade, and second/third grades, plus guidance on what to look for in quality reading instruction at each level.

Sep 22, 2026

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