Speech Comes First, Reading Follows

Reading doesn't begin with the first letter. It begins with the first word a child hears, the first story read to them before bed, the first conversation at the dinner table. Long before a child reads on their own, they have already built up a vocabulary, learned that sentences have structure, and discovered that words hold adventures. This is the foundation we parents lay, from the very earliest years.

Speech-language therapists agree on one thing: a child's immediate environment matters most. The home and preschool shape language development more than anything else. And the good news is that you need neither specialist training nor expensive tools to help. You just need to talk and read.

Reading is Best

One of the best things you can do for your child's language development is to look at books together every day. Research shows that children who are read to regularly from an early age have better vocabulary and are less likely to struggle with reading later on. Reading isn't just quality time — it's practice.

A few simple tips that work:

• Choose books suited to the child. Let the child's age and interests guide you, not your own ambitions.

• Explain new words. Pause when a new word comes up and give it meaning.

• Ask "why?" Talk about the story, don't just read it. Why did he do that? What do you think happens next?

• Read the same story again. Repetition isn't boring for a child — it's deeper understanding. Then let the child tell you what happened.
  
  

Talk All Day Long

Language stimulation doesn't only happen during reading time. It happens in the bedroom, at the dinner table, on the playground.

Describe what you are doing: "Now I'm putting my hands in and then the jumper goes over my head — oh, it's so soft!" Describe what the child is doing: "Now you're swinging high up in the air." Describe what is happening around you: "Look, there's a blue truck!"

And when the child speaks, repeat and expand. If the child says "mummy car" you reply "yes, that's mummy's red car." You never correct by demanding the child say it right. You just show the right way, again and again, and add one or two words. This is called the expansion method, and it is incredibly effective.

Small things that are easy to forget: make eye contact before you speak, give the child time to answer, and praise the attempt even if the outcome isn't perfect. Children often need longer than adults to put their thoughts into words.

Not All Screen Time is Equal

Here is a fact that surprises many people: young children do not learn language from watching television or a tablet. Language is learned through interaction, through eye contact, responses, and conversation. A child sitting alone in front of a screen, often with content in English, gets none of this.

But it is easy to draw the wrong conclusion: that all screen time is bad. It is not that simple. The difference lies not in the screen itself but in what the child does with it. On one hand there is passive viewing, where the child receives and does nothing. On the other hand there is active participation, where the child responds, chooses, tries, and gets immediate feedback. These two things are completely different.

For the youngest children, who are building spoken language, nothing replaces a real conversation with an adult. So: minimise passive screen time, choose Icelandic content, and be present. A screen you share with your child and talk about is entirely different from a screen that keeps them occupied. And remember — you are the role model. Your own screen use tells your child more than any rule.

When the Foundation is in Place, LESA Takes Over

When the vocabulary has grown strong enough, the child begins to read on their own. Then a new challenge begins: keeping the joy of reading alive as the words become more numerous and the stories longer.

And this is where the distinction above matters most. A well-designed, interactive reading game is not passive screen time — it is active practice. A good example is the Finnish reading game GraphoGame, developed by researchers at the University of Jyväskylä based on more than two decades of research into reading acquisition and dyslexia. It trains the connection between letter and sound with immediate feedback, has been used by all children starting school in Finland for more than a decade, and has reached over twenty countries. Research shows it works, and that it works best when an adult participates in the learning alongside the child.

It is precisely on this foundation that LESA is built. LESA is an Icelandic reading game that meets each child on their own terms: starts in the right place, gives feedback immediately, and lets the child set the pace. The stories are designed by professionals from the ground up for Icelandic — not translated — because Icelandic is unique and deserves that. An AI writing assistant ensures a specific framework is followed, developed in collaboration with MMS. The content works systematically through all the letters, sounds, and words that children in the early stages of reading should know.

LESA does not replace the books or the conversations at home. It is the continuation. In the early years you build the foundation through speech and reading. LESA helps the child turn that foundation into a skill, and to keep on enjoying reading.

More Good Advice and Where to Find It

The tips above are only a fraction of what is available. Parents in Iceland have access to an incredible wealth of quality material on children's language and speech, and it is all free. Speech-language therapists and specialists have put together simple, practical advice that is easy to use in the daily rush, from the very first babbling to the first full sentences. We particularly recommend two sources: Speech and Language Stimulation (talmal.hi.is) and the Literacy Council of the Centre for Education and School Services (MMS). The advice in this article is based on that material, including educational content from speech-language therapists that originally comes from I CAN (talkingpoint.org.uk) and was translated by the Hearing and Speech Centre of Iceland. It is well worth a look. There is more than enough there to give every child a great start.

Reading should be fun, and it starts long before the first letter is read. Talk, read, listen. We'll help you with the rest.

Try LESA for free when the app launches and make reading your child's favourite game.

The app is coming in autumn 2026. Sign up for the waitlist.