Too many preschoolers start school without the speech and pre-reading skills needed to thrive in Kindergarten. But which skills matter the most?
In this free guide, we seek to answer this question by summarising the evidence in Plain English.
We cover:
- typical speech development, consonant acquisition milestones, and error patterns;
- the links between unclear speech and later reading difficulties;
- foundational pre-reading skills (like phonological awareness and print awareness);
- how to teach the alphabet to your child;
- how to teach children to read;
- the benefits of shared reading and audiobooks; and
- school readiness communication skills.
This family guide focuses on helping preschoolers to get ready to read at big school.
Well-developed language skills – listening and talking skills – are also vital for school readiness. You can read more about how to help your preschooler’s oral language development in our free developmental language guide for families. It contains lots of practical strategies and tips about the importance of play, language stimulation techniques.
We hope you find these resources helpful.
Download it below.
Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.
Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language
Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.