Teaching a child to read is a worthwhile undertaking. A child who enjoys reading learns about far away cultures, expands her imagination and develops a thirst for knowledge. According to the Michigan Department of Education, 60 percent of children have reading struggles. Fortunately, almost all of these children can become proficient readers with the proper instruction. Teach your child to read effectively by working with her every day, following proven strategies and reading to her on a regular basis.
Instructions
Step 1
Analyze his auditory discrimination ability. According to the website, Success to Read, children who struggle with reading often have a hard time distinguishing between the sounds letters make. This makes it difficult to read quickly and efficiently.
Say three letter words to him such as cat, dog and pen. Ask him what sound he hears in the middle of each word. Play games by saying a word and having him say it back to you slowly and then quickly. Help him distinguish between slight differences in words like "lip" and "leap" by speaking the words slowly to him.
Step 2
Teach her that every letter has at least one sound associated with its name. Begin with short vowels, saving long vowels for after she is reading short vowel words easily. Use purchased flash cards or make your own.
Find flash cards that have the letter and a picture on one side and just the letter on the other. At first, show him the picture and the letter together so he makes the association between "d" and the picture dog. Eventually, turn the cards over so he has instant recognition of the letter and does not need the picture. Do not add the "uh" sound at the end of the letters. Encourage quickness in sound recognition.
Step 3
Bring the letter sounds to life by teaching your child to blend letters together to make sounds. Once he knows some consonant sounds and all five short vowel sounds, ask him to read. Use letter cards and lay them on the table.
Show him the 'c' card, the "a" card and the "t" card. Have him say the sounds separately without breathing in between the sounds. Then ask him to say it fast together. The University of Auburn also suggests starting with the short vowel sound and then adding the beginning and ending letter. Once he can blend short words together, introduce him to longer words.
Step 4
Explain to your child that sight words are ones she cannot easily sound out--like "people" and "building." Buy sight word cards or find a list of common sight words online. Print the words on three by five inch index cards. Introduce one word every couple of days. Begin with easy words and progress to more complex words. Drill your child on his sight word list until he is proficient and fast.
Step 5
Play rhyming games with your child. The ability to rhyme helps him recognize word families, such as "him," "Jim" and "Kim." Pick a simple word such as Sam and ask him to rhyme. If he has trouble, show him an alphabet strip and go through each letter trying to find letters that rhyme with Sam, such as "am," "jam" and "dam." It is okay if he makes up words, as long as they rhyme.
Tips and Warnings
- Make an alphabet book out of pictures from old magazines. Write down short stories he dictates to you and help him read his own story. Keep your practice sessions short. Set aside a time each day to practice reading. Visit the library often and read chapter books to your child. Be a good example by reading books yourself.
- Have your child professional evaluated if you suspect a learning disability. Never raise your voice or show frustration with your child.
Things You'll Need
- Letter flash cards
- Sight word cards
- Alphabet strip
