Learning to read is a complex process that doesn't happen on
its own. The best way to teach kids to read is by making it fun.
Most people don't think about the process of learning to
read until they decide to start teaching their own children at home.
Contrary to what some people believe, learning to read is
not a 'natural' process that happens all on its own. It's a complex one that
requires the proper teaching of various skills and strategies, such as phonics
(knowing the relationship between letters and sounds) and phonemic awareness.
The good news is that although reading itself is a complex
process, the steps taken in order to build these skills are fairly simple and
straightforward. In order to teach kids how to read and make it a positive and
rewarding experience, try these simple and time‑tested
strategies below.
Here are 10 simple steps to teach your child to read at
home:
1. Use songs and nursery rhymes to build phonemic awareness
Children's songs and nursery rhymes aren't just a lot of
fun—the rhyme and rhythm help kids to hear the sounds and syllables in words,
which helps them learn to read. A good way to build phonemic awareness (one of
the most important skills in learning to read) is to clap rhythmically together
and recite songs in unison. This playful and bonding activity is a fantastic
way for kids to implicitly develop the literacy skills that will set them up
for reading success.
2. Make simple word cards at home
Cut out simple cards and write a word containing three
sounds on each one (e.g. ram, sat, pig, top, sun, pot, fin). Invite your child
to choose a card, then read the word together and hold up three fingers. Ask
them to say the first sound they hear in the word, then the second, and then
the third. This simple activity requires little prep‑time
and builds essential phonics and decoding skills (helping them learn how to
sound out words). If your child is just starting out with learning the letters
of the alphabet, focus on the sound each letter makes, more so than letter
names.
3. Engage your child in a print-rich environment
Create daily opportunities to build your child's reading
skills by creating a print‑rich environment at home. Seeing
printed words (on posters, charts, books, labels etc.) enables children to see
and apply connections between sounds and letter symbols. When you're out and
about, point out letters on posters, billboards and signs. In time you can
model sounding out the letters to make words. Focus on the first letter in words.
Ask your child “What sound is that letter?” “What other word starts with that
sound?” “What word rhymes with that word?”
4. Play word games at home or in the car
Building on from the previous step, introduce simple word
games on a regular basis. Focus on playing games that encourage your child to
listen, identify and manipulate the sounds in words. For example, start by
asking questions like “What sound does the word start with?” “What sound
does the word end with?”
“What words start with the sound ?” and “What word rhymes
with ?”.
5. Understand the core skills involved in teaching kids to
read
It's important to remember that learning to read involves
various different skills. There are five essential components of reading that
you can read about here. These are the skills all children need in order to
successfully learn how to read. In summary, these include:
Phonemic awareness – the ability to hear and manipulate the
different sounds in words
Phonics – recognising the connection between letters and the
sounds they make
Vocabulary – understanding the meaning of words, their
definitions, and their context
Reading comprehension – understand the meaning of text, both
in storybooks and information books
Fluency – the ability to read aloud with speed,
understanding and accuracy
teach kids reading skills at home
6. Play with letter magnets
Middle vowel sounds can be tricky for some children, which
is why this activity can be so helpful. Prepare letter magnets on the fridge
and pull the vowels to one side (a, e, i, o, u). Say a CVC word
(consonant-vowel-consonant), for example 'cat', and ask your child to spell it
using the magnets. To help them, say each vowel sound aloud (/ayh/, /eh/, /ih/,
/awe/, /uh/) while pointing at its letter, and ask your child which one makes a
sound similar to the middle sound.
7. Harness the power of technology to keep your child
engaged
Learning to read should be an enjoyable process in order to
keep kids motivated to improve. Sometimes a child might be full of excitement
and eagerness to learn at the beginning, but once they hit a wall can feel
overwhelmed and give up easily. As a parent, it can feel impossible to pick up
again and know where to fill in any gaps that may be causing frustration.
8. Read together on a daily basis and ask questions about
the book
A lot of people don't realise just how many skills can be
picked up through the simple act of reading to a child. Not only are you
showing them how to sound out words, you're also building key comprehension
skills, growing their vocabulary, and letting them hear what a fluent reader
sounds like. Most of all, regular reading helps your child to develop a love
reading, which is the best way to set them up for reading success.
Strengthen your child's comprehension skills by asking questions
while reading. For younger children, encourage them to engage with the pictures
(e.g. “Do you see the boat? What colour is the cat?”). For older children, ask
questions about what you've just read, like “Why do you think the little bird
was afraid?” “When did Sophie realise she had special powers?”
9. Play games to memorise high-frequency sight words every
day
how to teach kids sight words
Sight words are ones that cannot be easily sounded out and
need to be recognised on sight. High‑frequency sight words are ones that
occur very often in reading and writing (e.g. you, I, we, am, had, and, to,
the, have, they, where, was, does).
The strategy for learning sight words is, "See the
word, say the word". Learning to identify and read sight words is
essential for young children to become fluent readers. Most children will be
able to learn a few sight words at the age of four (e.g. is, it, my, me, no,
see, and we) and around 20 sight words by the end of their first year of
school.
10. Be patient; the best way to teach kids to read is to
make it fun!
Every child learns at his or her own pace, so always
remember the single most important thing you can do is to make it enjoyable. By
reading regularly, mixing things up with the activities you choose, and letting
your child pick out their own books occasionally, you'll instil an early love
of reading and give them the best chance at reading success in no time.
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