HOW MANY WORDS CAN YOUR CHILD SPELL AND READ? What is the single most important skill that is going to help your child the most in school? Without a shadow of doubt, that skill is READING. Reading improves a child's chances of becoming interested in and participating in worthwhile activities. Why do kids prefer to watch TV than read? That is because TV is easy! It should be obvious that the best way to make a child read is to make reading easier. And the best way to make reading easier is make sure that your child knows how to read the most commonly used words in the English language. WORDS 400 is an innovative way to improve your child's reading and spelling skills. It includes 488 of the most commonly used English words. The child learns how to spell each word.