In today’s high-paced and competitive world, everybody is fighting to get a leg up on the competition.
As parents, we know that this starts at a very young age, and the earlier children start to read, write, count, and more, the better off they will be in their future.
Therefore, you may want to teach your kids how to read before they start school. This is a challenge, but nonetheless, a doable task. In this article, we will be discussing some important factors that will help you teach your child how to read.
How to Teach a Child to Read
Some of the best tips and methods for teaching your child to read proficiently at a young age are very easy and can be enjoyable.
Using Word Cards
One of the best ways to get your children started is to create some simple word cards. All you need to do here is to get some index cards and write simple three-letter words on them, words like run, sit, pig, dog, cat, and other simple words.
Remember to start easy, because if your child is still learning the alphabet and the sounds that letters make, the words need to be as easy as possible.
Try to get your child to read the card, and also read the word aloud with your child. You should also hold up three fingers when you read the word, with the aim being to get the child to identify each of the three sounds that they hear in a word, such as C/A/T.
This exercise will help your child build their phonics and decoding abilities and recognize the sound that each letter makes. It’s a great way to teach your children how to sound out words.
Remember that if your child is still in the process of learning the alphabet, it is best to concentrate on the sound that each letter makes, as opposed to the name of the letters.
Using Songs and Nursery Rhymes
Have you ever wondered why there are so many songs and nursery rhymes for young children? It’s not just to annoy parents with simple and repetitive songs, and while some part of it may have to do with keeping children entertained, the main point is to help teach children how to read.
The rhymes and rhythms contained in various rhymes and children’s songs are designed to help teach children the sounds and syllables that are contained in words. This in turn helps them learn how to read. This is one of the best ways to teach kids phonemic awareness.
Phonemic awareness refers to a person’s ability to hear and to manipulate the different sounds present in words, and when it comes to literacy, it is an important skill.
To help build phonemic awareness in your child, something that the Children Learning Reading program focuses heavily on is reciting songs in unison with your child and clap your hands rhythmically.
This is a fantastic building block so your children can learn basic literacy skills, particularly when it comes to phonemic awareness.
Alphabet Letter Cards
The most important aspects of reading and writing is of course the alphabet itself. Your child is not going to get very far in terms of literacy if they do not know the letters of the alphabet, as well as the sounds they make.
Therefore, a good way to help teach your child how to read is to make a set of alphabet cue cards, each with a single letter of the alphabet on it.
Say the name of the letter with your child, then try to get your child to repeat it, and finally, say the name of the letter with your child in unison.
Keep repeating this day in and day out, and within a week or two, your child should know the alphabet. This may be a bit hard to master at first, so it might be a good idea to limit the number of letters you try to teach per day, maybe to 5 or 6, but no more.
You can then write out the sound or various possible sounds each of these letters can make. Write this underneath the letter on the card, or even on the backside of the card.
So, if you have an “A,” write out the phonic pronunciation of the letter, as well as some of the most popular combinations, such as “at,” and other related combinations.
Practice these sounds and letter combinations with your child, always remembering that repetition is key.
Remember that phonics is one of the most important parts of reading, with phonics being the ability to recognize the relationship between letters, letter combinations, and full words, and the sounds which each of those make.
This is not only a great way to teach your child the letters of the alphabet, as well as word combinations, but also to pronounce letters, letter combinations, and words properly.
Engage Your Child with Print
Another great way to teach your child how to read, something that the Children Learning Reading Program does well, is to immerse your child in a print-heavy environment.
Get your child lots of children’s books, put many posters with words in their rooms and around your home, buy interactive word games for kids, and even educational TV shows focused on literacy. The more your child is immersed in print, the faster the learning process will go.
The point is that the best way to learn something is by being immersed in it and by constantly practicing. You can also try pointing out words you see when you are out and around, such as on billboards and advertisements.
You can then ask your child what the first letter is and what sound it makes, and you can try this for all of the individual letters in the word.
You can then up the ante by asking your child what sounds the letter combinations in that specific word make such as the “CA” or “AT” in the word CAT.
Finally, you can try to get your child to sound out the whole word. For this, remember that if your child is in the beginning stages, stick to simple 2, 3, and 4 letter words.
Read, Read, and Read Some More
Teaching your kids basic vocabulary, phonics, and phonemics is of course very important. These, along with other crucial skills, form the basic building blocks of literacy.
However, as is shown all throughout history and in nature, the best way to teach the next generation is to lead by example, and to show by doing.
In other words, if you want to teach your child how to read, and you want to get them really excited about reading, then you should be reading to them on a daily basis.
When you do this, remember to pick simple children’s books, and always remember to read slowly. Be sure to sound out all of the words, because by sounding out the words yourself, your child will also learn how to do so in the process.
Moreover, if you come across a word or sounds that you know your child has trouble with, take a minute to go over the word with your kid, hammering home the letters in the word, the sounds those letters make, and the pronunciation of the word as a whole.
To help spur on the thinking process, you can also ask simple questions about the text or story you just read.
For young kids, simple questions like “what color is the sun?” will be more than enough, and for older children, you can try asking questions like “why did the dog run away?” This will help teach general comprehension about what they are reading, as well as critical thinking skills.
There is also the fact that kids often like to be just like mommy or daddy, so reading to them is a great way to get them excited about it and to bond with your kids. Remember, young kids love being with their parents, so you should take advantage of this while it lasts.
Conclusion
Children learn at different paces, so if your child does not get it at first, don’t give up or think any less of your child. It can take months for your children to get started with basic literacy skills.
The most important thing you can do here is to keep it light and fun. Kids are always more inclined to do something if it’s fun.