Learning to read is one of the most important steps in your child's development, both socially and intellectually. Reading is the basis for education, and without that ability your child will find grasping new concepts a difficult task – from elementary years through to higher education. It is therefore in your best interests, as a parent, to embark on a reading programme with your child as early as possible, to ensure charted intellectual growth and development, and to allow independent thinking and the basis of intelligence. In this article we will reflect on some of the most salient ways in which you can promote your child's reading abilities from an early age.

Learning to read is important in allowing your child to participate and develop his understanding of the world at a conceptual level. In conjunction with emotional and social education, reading and literacy on the whole is crucial in ensuring your child can sustain intellectual development throughout his academic and working life. It is therefore imperative that the education process as far as reading is concerned begins as soon as possible, to allow your child to gain exposure more readily to wider concepts as they develop; without the ability to read fluently, this process will become significantly harder for your child, and could have an adverse affect on your child's passion for learning.

The first steps in teaching your child how to read should revolve around association of images, and words as images, as well as the basics of the alphabet and rudimentary pronunciation. Breaking down the composition of words and the combination of letters within basic nouns is important, as is raising the distinction between the grammatical structure of sentences and plurals. Unfortunately, this is only barely covered in school, so it is important to ensure your child has a thorough understanding of these concepts from home – the basics of grammar are essential to empower your child to read and speak effectively, and should be taught with the same level of relevance as pronunciation and spelling.

Additionally, engaging your child in the learning process is essential, and this may involve exposure to fun reading materials. By transforming the education process into something of a game, you can help fuel a passion for learning and education within your child that can ultimately transpire into a more academic, professional career path down the line.

Although learning to read is crucial to your child's development, it is also crucial to your child's role in the classroom. Those that can read proficiently ultimately become more confident and more academic pupils later down the line, and it is essential that they receive this kind of stimulation throughout their schooling process in order to give them the best possible start at independent emotional and intellectual growth. By ensuring you work with your child to learn through the basic steps of reading at a young age, you will be able to provide your child with the best hope for an academic and learned future, which should translate into a respectable career.