At 4, your child is mostly likely beginning to recognize letters and their sounds. If you want to foster the emotional rewards of reading in your child, be sure your child has access to a home library of books that you read together. It helps children start to view themselves as readers, which inspires confidence and comfort with books and language:

• Increasing independence and confidence with books is exciting for kids as they choose new books in the library or from the bookshelf that might have seemed too hard before. A 20-year-study by the University of Nevada, Reno, found that the number of books in a child’s home was linked to the educational achievement levels of those children.
• This is a very important time to continue reading out loud to your child as often as you can; talking about stories together helps you better understand your child’s ideas, fears, and feelings.
• Your child’s growing ability to identify letters and sounds gives her confidence as she tackles more challenging concepts in reading, and elsewhere in her life.

Read our Reading Skills Toolkit for Preschool: Age 4