Reading With Pictures as a Methodological System for the Early Acquisition of Reading Skills in Preschool Children

This article outlines a methodological system for the early acquisition of reading skills in children aged 5 to 7. In the initial stages of letter introduction, only the graphic symbol of the uppercase printed letter is presented, which naturally replaces phonemic modeling in words where the number of sounds corresponds to the number of letters. At the outset, children are encouraged to employ a so-called “global reading“ approach, in which individual letters within a word are not identified and no association is made between letters and their corresponding sounds. At this stage, the proposed exercises facilitate the child’s perception of the word as a holistic image, recognized through the accompanying illustration. Gradually, tasks are introduced that involve identifying and naming individual letters within words, as well as establishing the connection between a letter and its corresponding sound. Subsequently, children engage in activities that require word recognition based on pictures. For this purpose, words are selected in which the familiar letter appears at the beginning or end. Once a sufficient number of letters have been introduced, the child is encouraged to attempt reading short sentences, supported by visual cues. The described methodological system has the potential to significantly facilitate the literacy process in the first grade without rendering it redundant or monotonous for the child. By building upon children’s natural interest in written language, the proposed set of exercises provides a solid foundation for the further development of reading skills, supporting the more efficient recognition of letters and their synthesis into syllables and words.