Developing tracking skills is key to your child's literacy development. Tracking in reading is the ability to follow a line of type across a page from left to right and from the top of the page to the bottom.

Most educators agree that effective tracking skills are essential for understanding literacy and aiding learning as a whole, but some children have difficulty mastering tracking.

While a crucial step in learning to read, you can easily help your child develop these skills with many fun activities.

~ When you read to your child let them see you tracking by using your finger to underline the words as you read

~ Allow your child to explore books on their own and they will likely begin to mimic your behavior -- tracing lines as they relate their version of the story

~ Make patterns with your child out of blocks, legos, beeds, or any other type of toy, game, or craft idea. Take turns making patterns for the other to copy.

~ Play games that utilize patterns such as hopscotch or board games. Create your own games indoors and out.

~ Use nature and real life to expose your child to tracking skills by watching a ball roll, a worm crawl, or a bird fly. Watch cars travel down the road or airplanes across the sky as your child gets better with tracking slower objects.


If your child continues to struggle with tracking skills then you might want to consider a software program created by educators (there are several on the market) to help with specific tracking activities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deanna Mascle is the publisher of Preschoolers Learn More. Visit for more tips and resources for teaching your preschooler including Learning to Read through Rhyme