 Before a child has learned to read, it can be helpful to point at words as you read them. While the child watches, you can move your finger from left to right under the words as you read. For example, you can do this while reading a book. The dog ran fast. Or you could do this while reading a poster. Come see the show. While this may seem very simple, it helps the child understand that written words represent spoken words. And it also helps them learn that we read from left to right.