Learning to read at a young age is important for the
development of children. It helps them develop a better understanding of their
surroundings, allows them to gather information from printed materials, and
provides them with a wonderful source of entertainment when they read stories
and rhymes. Children develop at different rates, and some children will develop
reading skills quicker than other children; however, what's important is that
as the parent, you are keenly aware of your child's maturity and reading level
to provide him with appropriate books and activities to help him improve.
As a parent, you are the most important teacher for your
children. You will introduce them to books and reading. Here are some tips to
help you teach your child to read.
Teach Your Child How to Read Tip #1
Teach your child alphabet letters and sounds at the same
time. Studies have shown that children learn best when they are taught the
letter names and letter sounds at the same time. In one study, 58 preschool
children were randomly assigned to receive instructions in letter names and
sounds, letter sound only, or numbers (control group). The results of this
study are consistent with past research results in that it found children
receiving letter name and sound instruction were most likely to learn the
sounds of letters whose names included cues to their sounds. [1]
When teaching your child the letter sounds, have her slowly
trace the letter, while saying the sound of the letter at the same time. For
example, if you were teaching your child the letter "A", you would
say:
"The letter A makes the /A/ (ah) sound."
Then have your child say the /A/ sound while tracing the
letter with his or her index finger.
Teaching a Child How to Read Tip #2
When teaching your child to read, always emphasize with her
that the proper reading order should be from left to right, and top to bottom.
To adults, this may seem so basic that anyone should know it. However, our
children are not born with the knowledge that printed text should be read from
left to right and top to bottom, and this is why you'll sometimes see children
reading from right to left instead - because they were never explicitly taught
to read from left to right. When teaching your child how to read, always
emphasize this point with her.
Teach Your Child How to Read Tip #3
Teach final consonant blends first. Teaching words such
"at" and "and" can lead your child directly to learning
words that rhyme with these. For example, for "at", you can have:
Lat
Pat
Mat
Cat
Sat
Bat
Spat
Chat
Pat
Mat
Cat
Sat
Bat
Spat
Chat
For "and", you can have these rhyming words:
Sand
Band
Land
Hand
Stand
Bland
Brand
Grand
and so on...
Band
Land
Hand
Stand
Bland
Brand
Grand
and so on...
You can start teaching blends once your child has learned
the sounds of some consonants and short vowel sounds. You don't need to wait
until your child has mastered the sounds of all the letters before teaching
blends.
Learning to read is a long process, but it doesn't have to
be a difficult process. Broken down into intuitive and logical steps, a child
as young as two years old can learn to read, and older children can accomplish
even more.
Notes:
1. J Exp Child Psychol. 2010 Apr;105(4):324-44. Epub 2010
Jan 25.
Learning letter names and sounds: effects of instruction, letter type, and phonological processing skill.
Learning letter names and sounds: effects of instruction, letter type, and phonological processing skill.
Piasta SB, Wagner RK.
Preschool Language and Literacy Lab, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Preschool Language and Literacy Lab, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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