Some children take to reading so easily it's almost as if they're remembering how to read rather than learning it for the first time, says Oregon-based classroom teacher Beverlee Brick. With others, educators and parents alike need to apply every trick available to help develop in children this essential aspect of learning. Fortunately, there are many tools available to make this task easier.
Modeling
"Baby 411" author Ari Brown writes that modeling is the most important thing you can do to encourage early reading. Brown recommends that you read to and with your child from day one, familiarizing baby with the concept of books and demonstrating that reading is something people do. As your child gets older, modeling reading for pleasure and for purpose will continue to encourage your child to learn to read and improve reading skills.
Flash Cards
Flash cards help children associate visual cues with the sounds they represent, says Brick. Flash cards can be of words, individual letters or sound combinations such as "sh" and "tion." Flash cards don't necessarily have to be cards: classic letter blocks are a form of flash card.
Phonics
Phonics is the strong association of a sound with the letter it represents, reports Genki English, an English-teaching resource website. An example of basic phonics is the letter D next to a picture of a dog. Phonics is present in many early reader and picture books and part of numerous published reading curricula.
Online Tools
Brick reports that online or computer-based reading tools are now a common part of many elementary school programs. These programs open with letter identification games and move up to advanced comprehension and vocabulary tests. Some of these tools use shooting, driving or dodging characters like in classic video games, while others are more like an electronic textbook and worksheet.
References
- "Baby 411"; Denise Fields and Ari Brown; 2009
- Beverlee Brick; Elementary School Teacher; Hillsboro, OR
- Genki English: Phonics
