What is a strong predictor of early reading success in children?

Phonemic awareness is a strong predictor of early reading success in children because it involves the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. This foundational skill is crucial for understanding the relationship between sounds and letters, which is essential when children begin to decode words during reading. Developing phonemic awareness enables children to sound out words, recognize rhymes, and blend sounds together, which are all vital components in learning to read effectively.

While exposure to technology, advanced vocabulary, and creative writing skills can contribute to literacy development, they do not provide the same direct link to the fundamental skills required for early reading as phonemic awareness does. Advanced vocabulary, for instance, is more about comprehension and usage than decoding, while creative writing skills are more relevant for expression rather than initial reading success.