According to G. Reid Lyon, PhD, Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, reading is one of the most critical skills children learn. Their ability to read impacts their academic performance, and later, their ability to achieve in the workplace. You do not have to rely on schools to teach this critical skill. You can teach your child to read with just a few simple tools.
Teach Pre-Reading
Step 1
Set aside a specific time each day to practice reading. This will help your child anticipate reading time and will help you be consistent. Begin or end each reading session by reading a story out loud to your child. Get to know your local librarian and ask for recommendations for good read aloud books.
Step 2
Teach the alphabet. Buy or make alphabet flashcards. Teach one letter at a time, and review letters your child already knows. Tell your child the name of the letter, the sound it makes, and some words she knows that begin with that letter.
Step 3
Play word games with your child. Think of words that start with the letters he knows, or offer a word and take turns thinking of rhyming words. Accept nonsense words as well as actual words, as long as they rhyme with the beginning word.
Step 4
Make an alphabet book with your child. Each time she learns a new letter, use a pen or marker to write it on a sheet of paper and ask your child to use crayons to trace the letter. Encourage her to decorate her letter page with drawings or pictures cut from magazines of objects that begin with that letter.
Read Together
Step 1
Begin using phonics readers when your child knows all the letters in the alphabet and the sounds they make. Ask your child to sound out words in the first phonics reader. Give him assistance as needed, but don't be too quick to tell him a word he doesn't know.
Step 2
Encourage your child to sound out and recognize words in his environment, such as stop signs, cereal boxes, and billboards.
Step 3
Work through the set of phonics readers systematically, going at your child's pace. When she masters a book, congratulate her and move on to the next one.
Step 4
Continue to read aloud to your child and play word games. Listen to your child read and praise his progress.
Step 5
Set aside an independent reading time each day. 15 to 20 minutes before bedtime or after lunch is a good time for this. Allow your child to choose her own books for independent reading time. Do not restrict her to phonics readers only, but allow her to choose picture books even if she cannot yet read them.
Tips and Warnings
- There are many good sets of phonics readers available. If possible, let your child chose her own set. Reading will go more smoothly if your child is interested in the story and characters in her books.
- Stop reading practice if your child becomes frustrated. Instead, chose a favorite story and spend the rest of your time reading aloud to your child.
Things You'll Need
- Library card
- Alphabet flashcards
- Paper
- Pen or marker
- Crayons
- Three hole punch
- Binder
- Phonics readers---purchased or borrowed from the library
References
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: The NICHD Research Program in Reading Development, Reading Disorders and Reading Instruction
- "Teach Your Child to Read in Just Ten Minutes a Day;" Sidney Ledson; 2006
- "Phonics Pathways: Clear Steps to Easy Reading and Perfect Spelling;" Dolores G. Hiskes; 2005
