Learning to read can be a long process, so it is never too
early to prepare a child. While learning to read is a big milestone, it is
important that the learning process be fun and engaging for the child. Reading
should be something that the child comes to enjoy and can use to gain even more
knowledge through books. If you remain patient and make the learning process a
fun way to spend time together, it will give the child the best chance to
successfully learn to read and love books.
Creating a Reading Environment
1-Read to the child. Make
reading part of the routine every day. It is never too early to start reading
to a child. Reading to infants has even been shown to lead to early brain
development and improves language, literacy and social skills.
2-Use an energetic tone. An
engaging storyteller will help to keep the child interested in the book. Even
if the child is too young to understand the story, your voice can express
happiness, sadness, anger, or many other emotions that will give the child some
context to go with the pictures.
3-Point to each word as you read. Make
sure the child is able to see your finger pointing to each word as you say it.
Even if it does not seem like he understands the words, he will begin to
realize that the squiggly lines on the page are related to the words that are
spoken.
- You
don't have to just stick to the story. You can pause and use rich
vocabulary to describe the pictures, or voices to describe the character.
This will help stimulate the child's imagination, too.
4-Ask the child questions about
the story. Pause while reading to get the child involved in the story.
Keep the questions simple. For example, if there is a dog in the story, you can
ask the child what color it is. This will help the child to learn to process
the story better and lead to better reading comprehension.
5-Give him some books. In
order to teach the child to read, having plenty of books to explore will help
to spark an interest in reading.
- Board books and cloth books are great for infants and toddlers. These books will hold up better than paperback or hardcover copies, and the thicker pages make it easier for children to turn the pages.
- As the child gets a bit older, focus on rhyming books like that have songs .
- Get
a library card. Take the child on regular visits to your local library. Go to the children's
section and let the child pick the book he wants to read. Once a week on
a set date (Friday after school for example) is also a good way to get
into a structured routine. It's alright if he is a bit too old for the
book or has already read it. When he is a bit older, let him check out the
book at the front desk, but always under your supervision.
6-Set a positive example by
reading books. If a child notices that you are enjoying a book, he
will be more likely to develop an interest in reading as well. Try to read
around them for about 20 minutes each day. If the child gets curious about what
you're doing you can tell him about the book you are reading, or take the
opportunity to ask if the child would like to find a book to read.
Teaching Necessary Skills
1-Teach the alphabet. To
begin the process of reading the child will need a solid understanding of the
alphabet. In addition to singing the alphabet, the child should develop an
understanding of letter shapes and sounds.
- Start with an alphabet book.
- Make
it fun by playing games. You can get some alphabet letters for the
fridge, or cut out a bunch of letter shapes and decorate them with
objects that begin with each letter. For example, cut out a letter S shapes
and have him decorate it by gluing sunflower seeds or applying star
stickers.
2-Build phonemic awareness. Phonemic
awareness is the process of associating letters or letter shapes with the
corresponding sounds. Children will need to learn the 44 sounds made by the 26
letters of the alphabet. You
can use a list of phonemes and help the child learn to correlate the sounds
with the letters of the alphabet.
- Teach the child how to pronounce each phoneme. Focus on one letter at a time and teach the child how to pronounce them correctly. Say the letter, then tell him the sound it makes. For example, "the letter A makes an ah sound. Then give him examples of words that start with that sound such as apple or ant.
- There
are a lot of great apps that have fun games to help teach a child
phonemic awareness,
3-Help the child sound out words. Once
the child can identify the first sound of one syllable words, teach him to add
the ending. Use a picture to break up the letters and make each individual
sound, then ask the child what the word is. This will help him to understand
how each of the sounds created by letters will work together to form words. Have
the child practice sounding out the words in the same way.
- Put one syllable words together in a two or three word sentence. Have the child practice reading the sentence by sounding out each word.
- Once
he has the hang of sounding out one syllable words, add another syllable.
Keep challenging the child to sound out longer words.
4-Teach sight words. Sight
words are any short, common words that a child will see often. Some examples of
common sight words include plant, father, their and here. Many of these words
are difficult to sound out. The best way for a child to learn these words is
through repeatedly seeing the word in the context of a sentence and alongside
the object it represents.
- There are a number of books that focus on teaching sight words. Often times books with sight words will indicate that on the cover.
- Use cards with sight words on them and help the child put them alongside the objects they represent. Eventually the child will begin to associate the written word with the object on their own.
- Use flashcards to teach sight words. Show the child the card and pronounce the word. Spell it out and use it in a sentence. Then go through and have the child say the word, spell the word and use the word in a sentence. Repeat until the child can identify all the cards.
- Play games to help the child learn, like bingo. Mark the spaces on a bingo board with sight words, then call the words out. The child must identify the word on his card and mark it.
- Point
out word families. Word families are groups of words that rhyme. Make
sure the child notices words that rhyme, such as cat, pat, hat. Once, the
child sees the words written and hears the similarity of sounds he will
begin to identify the at sound and how it appears when
written.
Practicing Reading
1-Ensure that the reading area is
quiet, free of distractions, and comfortable. Turn off any televisions
or electronic devices that could cause the child to lose focus. Put away any
toys that might be too tempting to play with.
2-Begin by reading the book aloud. Choose
and read aloud a paragraph, or a page of a book. If you start the reading, this
helps to set the tone for enjoying the reading activity together. You will also
be giving them a good example of fluent reading so the child can hear how the
story should sound.
3-Ask your child to read for you. As
your child reads, he will pause on words he is not familiar with.
·
When your child pauses,
immediately provide the word for him and let him move on. Underline or circle
in pencil the words he initially cannot read.
·
Go back and review any
incorrect words and help read the words correctly.
4-Read the same stories several
times. With practice, the child will be able to correctly read more
words each time through. By going over the same words again and again, the
child will eventually be able to read the story more fluently. The
words will be easier to decode and the child will need to stop and sound them
out less often.
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