There are many ways that you can work with your child at home to help him/her build their early reading skills! Here are a few strategies that you can use when reading nightly with your child:

Read to and With Your Child

1. There is value in reading aloud to your child, as his/her listening skills are often stronger than his/her reading skills, particularly at a younger age, and they will likely comprehend more if they are being read to.
2. Encourage your child to follow along as best as he/she can, and to look for and point out words that they know. Often, these will be sight words (common words) that they are practicing at school (e.g. the, he, she, like).
3. It is best to set aside a specific time each night to read to and with your child. A routine is more consistent for your child and will make it easier for you to get your child to sit down and read with you, as they will know it is expected each night.
4. Each night, it is helpful to have your child read and to also read to them. Taking turns gives children a break but allows them to still be engaged in the learning process. 
5. Do a Picture WalkBefore you read to your child, or before they read to you, do a picture walk through the book that you are about to read.
6. A picture walk is looking through the different pages of the book and talking about what you see, what you think might happen, and what you think the book might be about. 
7. Make PredictionsEncourage your child to try and sound out the title of the book, along with looking at the pictures.
8. Talk about what a prediction is, and have your child make a prediction about the story. E.g. “Now that we know the title and have looked at the pictures, let’s try and make a prediction. A prediction is when we use what we know to guess or predict what will happen. What do you think will happen in this book?”
9. Encourage your child to make predictions throughout the book, as you read with them or to them.  E.g.“What do you think will happen next?”
10. Create Flashcards and Practice Them DailyDolch sight words are lists (arranged by grade level) of common and high frequency words found in the English language (e.g. at, and, the).
11. Knowing many common and short words frees up energy to focus on decoding new and more challenging words.
12. Find Dolch word lists and corresponding activities here:http://www.mrsperkins.com