Charlotte Schorr, Assistant of Opportunity at the George W. Bush Institute and former teacher, discusses five tips for parents to lay the foundation for strong future readers.
Additional resources:
- A republic of readers
- Mrs. Bush’s 2026 Summer Reading List for Kids
- U.S. 15-year-olds are reading at the lowest level in almost 25 years. But we can fix it.
Video Transcript
Charlotte: A child’s reading journey begins long before they enter the classroom. As their first teachers, parents can help build the foundation for a lifetime of literacy. Here are five research-backed ways to get started. Number one, daily discipline. Read together every day and point to each word as you go. It helps your child connect spoken words to the written letters on the page and hear what reading should sound like. Number two, focus on phonics. If your child gets stuck on a word, sound it out together. Say each sound slowly, then blend them together. Number three, cultivate questions. Ask questions before, during, and after reading to help build understanding and vocabulary. For example, what do you think this book will be about? What do you think will happen next? Why did the character do that? Number four, spotlight sounds. Play rhyming games, clap out word parts, or change the first sound in a word to make a new one. Number five, practice sight words. Words like and, the, and is show up everywhere. Use flash cards or pause during the story to give them a chance to read it on their own. Small moments add up. Every sound you practice and every book you share helps your child grow into a confident reader.
