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Tips and advice from the show's creators on how Blue can help you teach your preschooler to read.

Encourage preschoolers to find the joy and excitement of reading -- whether they're listening to a story on your lap or reading signs and labels in the grocery store. Preschoolers may not read the way that we do, but lots of what they do in their everyday lives involve literacy concepts that will help them decipher words and find meaning in text.

Read and Recite:
Read your preschooler's favorite story to him. When you're finished, ask him to "read" it back to you (most kids can recite short books from memory after hearing them several times). Point to each word as he recites the story so that he can see the association between the words and what he is saying.

Every Picture Tells a Story:
Ask your preschooler to draw a picture or a series of pictures. Then have her tell you a story to go along with what she has drawn. As she talks, transcribe what she is saying underneath the picture(s). This exercise allows kids to see that the words they are saying -- and that you are writing down -- have meaning and are important.

Wordplay:
Write a word (noun or verb) on a piece of paper and sound out the letters together with your preschooler. Then have fun defining the word visually by showing the object or acting out the verb. Take turns.

Find Answers in Books:
Next time you read a story with your preschooler, listen to his questions and tune in to his interests. Instead of answering his questions right away (even if you know the answer), suggest that you look more carefully into the book you are reading, read another book, or perhaps even go to the library to find the answers. Figuring things out on their own empowers preschoolers and supports the value of reading.

Written by Alice Wilder, Ed. D., Research Director for Blue's Clues