Assessment of Professional Knowledge Elementary Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

Early exposure to language through parents reading aloud helps children build the listening, speaking, and print concepts that underpin reading. When shared reading happens regularly, kids hear a rich vocabulary, learn how sentences are put together, and become familiar with how books work. These experiences also boost motivation to engage with text and develop phonological skills that support decoding.

If parents seldom read aloud, a child misses key moments to hear new words, hear language in context, and see how stories unfold. That lack of practice and exposure makes it harder to build the fluency and comprehension essential for reading success, increasing the likelihood of becoming a poorer reader.

Being from a foreign country isn’t in itself a determinant of reading difficulty; many students grow up bilingual or English learners who become strong readers with necessary support. Similarly, a parent who works full time or being raised by a grandparent can influence how much time is available for reading together, but they don’t by themselves establish the direct, ongoing literacy experiences that most strongly predict reading outcomes.