Seeing your child progress from a non-reader to a reader is like watching them open a present. The world of reading opens a door far beyond their ordinary lives. When learning to read, there are certain skills necessary for success. Help you child improve their reading ability by teaching them the skills they need to succeed.
Letter Sounds
An important auditory skill for reading is the ability to distinguish between sounds, hear rhyming words and remember the association between the letter and the sound it makes. Help your child gain confidence in these skills by playing games and using flash cards. Buy or make a set of flash cards that has the letter and a picture whose sound begins with the letter. Flip through the flash cards one by one, having your child say the letter name and the letter sound. Keep your attitude positive and they will find this fun.
Rhyming And Memory
To help your child hear sounds within words, play rhyming games. Pick a simple word like hat, and encourage your child to say all the words they can think of which rhyme with hat. It is OK if they say a made-up word, such as dat, because the point of the game is to help them rhyme. Progress to more complex words, such as soap, glass, melon and chair. You can also incorporate rhyming into a game of memory. Make rhyming cards using pictures cut out of a newspaper and play concentration using the cards. You help them improve their memory and focus on word sounds at the same time.
Reading Basics
Edward Fry Ph.D., in his book, "How to Teaching Reading: For Teachers, Parents, Tutors" discusses a reading technique which helps beginning readers improve their skills. To use his technique, select a short passage in an easy book. Read the section to your child twice, then read the section together two times and finally sit by your child as they read the section back to you. This method gives your child confidence and the opportunity to see the words, hear the words and then read the words.
Comprehension
As they learn to read, help your child improve his comprehension skills. As he progresses to reading more difficult books and stories the need for solid comprehension skills increases. Read aloud to your child every day, and do not limit your book choices to those at his grade level because his aural understanding is far above his reading ability. After you read a passage, ask him questions about the story. Make your voice conversational and engaging to keep it fun.
References
- U.S. Department of Education: Teaching About Letters
- Succeed to Read: Teaching How to Rhyme
- "How to Teach Reading: For Teachers, Parents, Tutors"; Laguana Beach Publications; Edward Fry, PhD.
- Reading Lady: Teaching Reading Comprehension to Struggling Readers
