Learning to read is a complex process. It involves a variety of neurologically based systems, plus skills that pull those systems together.

Did you know learning to read includes figuring out the relationship between the approximate forty-four spoken sounds (phonemes) of the English language with the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, and there are over 150 spelling patterns?!

If you would like to know the specific behaviors and reading milestones that are appropriate by age, check out these articles:

Birth to Age 3

Age 3-4

Age 5

Age 6

Research shows that early intervention is one of the best strategies to ensure success in the learning process. Especially learning to read. In fact, the grade-level gap, or skill deficit between average and below-average readers, can be closed with appropriate early intervention.

In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 95 percent of children reach grade level with that help! 

You have the power to flip the script!  

As we adapt to new technology and digital mediums, our brains inevitably change. And, sometimes, that is not for the better.

A fascinating book, Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, considers the future of the reading brain. And, addresses our “capacity for critical thinking, empathy, and reflection as we become increasingly dependent on digital technologies.”

For instance, as we become accustomed to quickly scanning through information on a screen or tablet, it makes it difficult to engage in deep reading. Reading needs to be an immersive experience.

That is a problem, because the less we engage in deep reading, the less we develop:

• a rich vocabulary,
• critical reasoning skills,
• empathy,
• imagination, and
• the ability to personally reflect on experiences.

Furthermore, negative societal shifts may develop as a result of quick scanning instead of deep reading.

Check out my video below to learn my tips to help counteract technology’s impact on the “Reading Brain.” And, at the same time, celebrate the joys of reading with your family.

What do you think about the question Dr. Wolf proposes? What steps are you already taking in your household to foster the importance of deep reading? Do you have other worries about how technology will affect your child’s learning development?

Let me know in the comments below, and you can purchase Dr. Wolf’s book online here.