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Teach a kindergartener to read


9 Fun and Easy Tips

With the abundance of information out there, it can seem like there is no clear answer about how to teach a child to read. As a busy parent, you may not have time to wade through all of the conflicting opinions.

That’s why we’re here to help! There are some key elements when it comes to teaching kids to read, so we’ve rounded up nine effective tips to help you boost your child’s reading skills and confidence.

These tips are simple, fit into your lifestyle, and help build foundational reading skills while having fun!

Tips For How To Teach A Child To Read

1) Focus On Letter Sounds Over Letter Names

We used to learn that “b” stands for “ball.” But when you say the word ball, it sounds different than saying the letter B on its own. That can be a strange concept for a young child to wrap their head around!

Instead of focusing on letter names, we recommend teaching them the sounds associated with each letter of the alphabet. For example, you could explain that B makes the /b/ sound (pronounced just like it sounds when you say the word ball aloud).

Once they firmly establish a link between a handful of letters and their sounds, children can begin to sound out short words. Knowing the sounds for B, T, and A allows a child to sound out both bat and tab.

As the number of links between letters and sounds grows, so will the number of words your child can sound out!

Now, does this mean that if your child already began learning by matching formal alphabet letter names with words, they won’t learn to match sounds and letters or learn how to read? Of course not!

We simply recommend this process as a learning method that can help some kids with the jump from letter sounds to words.

2) Begin With Uppercase Letters

Practicing how to make letters is way easier when they all look unique! This is why we teach uppercase letters to children who aren’t in formal schooling yet.

Even though lowercase letters are the most common format for letters (if you open a book at any page, the majority of the letters will be lowercase), uppercase letters are easier to distinguish from one another and, therefore, easier to identify.

Think about it –– “b” and “d” look an awful lot alike! But “B” and “D” are much easier to distinguish. Starting with uppercase letters, then, will help your child to grasp the basics of letter identification and, subsequently, reading.

To help your child learn uppercase letters, we find that engaging their sense of physical touch can be especially useful. If you want to try this, you might consider buying textured paper, like sandpaper, and cutting out the shapes of uppercase letters.

Ask your child to put their hands behind their back, and then place the letter in their hands. They can use their sense of touch to guess what letter they’re holding! You can play the same game with magnetic letters.

3) Incorporate Phonics

Research has demonstrated that kids with a strong background in phonics (the relationship between sounds and symbols) tend to become stronger readers in the long-run.

A phonetic approach to reading shows a child how to go letter by letter — sound by sound — blending the sounds as you go in order to read words that the child (or adult) has not yet memorized.

Once kids develop a level of automatization, they can sound out words almost instantly and only need to employ decoding with longer words. Phonics is best taught explicitly, sequentially, and systematically — which is the method HOMER uses.

If you’re looking for support helping your child learn phonics, our HOMER Learn & Grow app might be exactly what you need! With a proven reading pathway for your child, HOMER makes learning fun!

4) Balance Phonics And Sight Words

Sight words are also an important part of teaching your child how to read. These are common words that are usually not spelled the way they sound and can’t be decoded (sounded out).

Because we don’t want to undo the work your child has done to learn phonics, sight words should be memorized. But keep in mind that learning sight words can be challenging for many young children.

So, if you want to give your child a good start on their reading journey, it’s best to spend the majority of your time developing and reinforcing the information and skills needed to sound out words.

5) Talk A Lot

Even though talking is usually thought of as a speech-only skill, that’s not true. Your child is like a sponge. They’re absorbing everything, all the time, including the words you say (and the ones you wish they hadn’t heard)!

Talking with your child frequently and engaging their listening and storytelling skills can increase their vocabulary.

It can also help them form sentences, become familiar with new words and how they are used, as well as learn how to use context clues when someone is speaking about something they may not know a lot about.

All of these skills are extremely helpful for your child on their reading journey, and talking gives you both an opportunity to share and create moments you’ll treasure forever!



6) Keep It Light

Reading is about having fun and exploring the world (real and imaginary) through text, pictures, and illustrations. When it comes to reading, it’s better for your child to be relaxed and focused on what they’re learning than squeezing in a stressful session after a long day.

We’re about halfway through the list and want to give a gentle reminder that your child shouldn’t feel any pressure when it comes to reading — and neither should you!

Although consistency is always helpful, we recommend focusing on quality over quantity. Fifteen minutes might sound like a short amount of time, but studies have shown that 15 minutes a day of HOMER’s reading pathway can increase early reading scores by 74%!

It may also take some time to find out exactly what will keep your child interested and engaged in learning. That’s OK! If it’s not fun, lighthearted, and enjoyable for you and your child, then shake it off and try something new.

7) Practice Shared Reading

While you read with your child, consider asking them to repeat words or sentences back to you every now and then while you follow along with your finger.

There’s no need to stop your reading time completely if your child struggles with a particular word. An encouraging reminder of what the word means or how it’s pronounced is plenty!

Another option is to split reading aloud time with your child. For emerging readers, you can read one line and then ask them to read the next. For older children, reading one page and letting them read the next page is beneficial.

Doing this helps your child feel capable and confident, which is important for encouraging them to read well and consistently!

This technique also gets your child more acquainted with the natural flow of reading. While they look at the pictures and listen happily to the story, they’ll begin to focus on the words they are reading and engage more with the book in front of them.

Rereading books can also be helpful. It allows children to develop a deeper understanding of the words in a text, make familiar words into “known” words that are then incorporated into their vocabulary, and form a connection with the story.

We wholeheartedly recommend rereading!

8) Play Word Games

Getting your child involved in reading doesn’t have to be about just books. Word games can be a great way to engage your child’s skills without reading a whole story at once.

One of our favorite reading games only requires a stack of Post-It notes and a bunched-up sock. For this activity, write sight words or words your child can sound out onto separate Post-It notes. Then stick the notes to the wall.

Your child can then stand in front of the Post-Its with the bunched-up sock in their hands. You say one of the words and your child throws the sock-ball at the Post-It note that matches!

9) Read With Unconventional Materials

In the same way that word games can help your child learn how to read, so can encouraging your child to read without actually using books!

If you’re interested in doing this, consider using PlayDoh, clay, paint, or indoor-safe sand to form and shape letters or words.

Another option is to fill a large pot with magnetic letters. For emerging learners, suggest that they pull a letter from the pot and try to name the sound it makes. For slightly older learners, see if they can name a word that begins with the same sound, or grab a collection of letters that come together to form a word.

As your child becomes more proficient, you can scale these activities to make them a little more advanced. And remember to have fun with it!

Reading Comes With Time And Practice

Overall, we want to leave you with this: there is no single answer to how to teach a child to read. What works for your neighbor’s child may not work for yours –– and that’s perfectly OK!

Patience, practicing a little every day, and emphasizing activities that let your child enjoy reading are the things we encourage most. Reading is about fun, exploration, and learning!

And if you ever need a bit of support, we’re here for you! At HOMER, we’re your learning partner. Start your child’s reading journey with confidence with our personalized program plus expert tips and learning resources.

Author

Teaching children to read isn’t easy. How do kids actually learn to read?

A student in a Mississippi elementary school reads a book in class. Research shows young children need explicit, systematic phonics instruction to learn how to read fluently. Credit: Terrell Clark for The Hechinger Report

Teaching kids to read isn’t easy; educators often feel strongly about what they think is the “right” way to teach this essential skill. Though teachers’ approaches may differ, the research is pretty clear on how best to help kids learn to read. Here’s what parents should look for in their children’s classroom.

How do kids actually learn how to read?

Research shows kids learn to read when they are able to identify letters or combinations of letters and connect those letters to sounds. There’s more to it, of course, like attaching meaning to words and phrases, but phonemic awareness (understanding sounds in spoken words) and an understanding of phonics (knowing that letters in print correspond to sounds) are the most basic first steps to becoming a reader.

If children can’t master phonics, they are more likely to struggle to read. That’s why researchers say explicit, systematic instruction in phonics is important: Teachers must lead students step by step through a specific sequence of letters and sounds. Kids who learn how to decode words can then apply that skill to more challenging words and ultimately read with fluency. Some kids may not need much help with phonics, especially as they get older, but experts say phonics instruction can be essential for young children and struggling readers “We don’t know how much phonics each kid needs,” said Anders Rasmussen, principal of Wood Road Elementary School in Ballston Spa, New York, who recently led the transformation of his schools’ reading program to a research-based, structured approach. “But we know no kid is hurt by getting too much of it.”

How should your child’s school teach reading?

Timothy Shanahan, a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and an expert on reading instruction, said phonics are important in kindergarten through second grade and phonemic awareness should be explicitly taught in kindergarten and first grade. This view has been underscored by experts in recent years as the debate over reading instruction has intensified. But teaching kids how to read should include more than phonics, said Shanahan. They should also be exposed to oral reading, reading comprehension and writing.

The wars over how to teach reading are back. Here’s the four things you need to know.

Wiley Blevins, an author and expert on phonics, said a good test parents can use to determine whether a child is receiving research-based reading instruction is to ask their child’s teacher how reading is taught. “They should be able to tell you something more than ‘by reading lots of books’ and ‘developing a love of reading.’ ” Blevins said. Along with time dedicated to teaching phonics, Blevins said children should participate in read-alouds with their teacher to build vocabulary and content knowledge. “These read-alouds must involve interactive conversations to engage students in thinking about the content and using the vocabulary,” he said. “Too often, when time is limited, the daily read-alouds are the first thing left out of the reading time. We undervalue its impact on reading growth and must change that.”

Rasmussen’s school uses a structured approach: Children receive lessons in phonemic awareness, phonics, pre-writing and writing, vocabulary and repeated readings. Research shows this type of “systematic and intensive” approach in several aspects of literacy can turn children who struggle to read into average or above-average readers.

What should schools avoid when teaching reading?

Educators and experts say kids should be encouraged to sound out words, instead of guessing. “We really want to make sure that no kid is guessing,” Rasmussen said. “You really want … your own kid sounding out words and blending words from the earliest level on.” That means children are not told to guess an unfamiliar word by looking at a picture in the book, for example. As children encounter more challenging texts in later grades, avoiding reliance on visual cues also supports fluent reading. “When they get to ninth grade and they have to read “Of Mice and Men,” there are no picture cues,” Rasmussen said.

Related: Teacher Voice: We need phonics, along with other supports, for reading

Blevins and Shanahan caution against organizing books by different reading levels and keeping students at one level until they read with enough fluency to move up to the next level. Although many people may think keeping students at one level will help prevent them from getting frustrated and discouraged by difficult texts, research shows that students actually learn more when they are challenged by reading materials.

Blevins said reliance on “leveled books” can contribute to “a bad habit in readers.” Because students can’t sound out many of the words, they rely on memorizing repeated words and sentence patterns, or on using picture clues to guess words. Rasmussen said making kids stick with one reading level — and, especially, consistently giving some kids texts that are below grade level, rather than giving them supports to bring them to grade level — can also lead to larger gaps in reading ability.

How do I know if a reading curriculum is effective?

Some reading curricula cover more aspects of literacy than others. While almost all programs have some research-based components, the structure of a program can make a big difference, said Rasmussen. Watching children read is the best way to tell if they are receiving proper instruction — explicit, systematic instruction in phonics to establish a foundation for reading, coupled with the use of grade-level texts, offered to all kids.

Parents who are curious about what’s included in the curriculum in their child’s classroom can find sources online, like a chart included in an article by Readingrockets.org which summarizes the various aspects of literacy, including phonics, writing and comprehension strategies, in some of the most popular reading curricula.

Blevins also suggested some questions parents can ask their child’s teacher:

  • What is your phonics scope and sequence?

“If research-based, the curriculum must have a clearly defined phonics scope and sequence that serves as the spine of the instruction. ” Blevins said.

  • Do you have decodable readers (short books with words composed of the letters and sounds students are learning) to practice phonics?

“If no decodable or phonics readers are used, students are unlikely to get the amount of practice and application to get to mastery so they can then transfer these skills to all reading and writing experiences,” Blevins said. “If teachers say they are using leveled books, ask how many words can students sound out based on the phonics skills (teachers) have taught … Can these words be fully sounded out based on the phonics skills you taught or are children only using pieces of the word? They should be fully sounding out the words — not using just the first or first and last letters and guessing at the rest.”

  • What are you doing to build students’ vocabulary and background knowledge? How frequent is this instruction? How much time is spent each day doing this?

“It should be a lot,” Blevins said, “and much of it happens during read-alouds, especially informational texts, and science and social studies lessons. ”

  • Is the research used to support your reading curriculum just about the actual materials, or does it draw from a larger body of research on how children learn to read? How does it connect to the science of reading?

Teachers should be able to answer these questions, said Blevins.

What should I do if my child isn’t progressing in reading?

When a child isn’t progressing, Blevins said, the key is to find out why. “Is it a learning challenge or is your child a curriculum casualty? This is a tough one.” Blevins suggested that parents of kindergarteners and first graders ask their child’s school to test the child’s phonemic awareness, phonics and fluency.

Parents of older children should ask for a test of vocabulary. “These tests will locate some underlying issues as to why your child is struggling reading and understanding what they read,” Blevins said. “Once underlying issues are found, they can be systematically addressed. ”

“We don’t know how much phonics each kid needs. But we know no kid is hurt by getting too much of it.”

Anders Rasmussen, principal of Wood Road Elementary School in Ballston Spa, New York

Rasmussen recommended parents work with their school if they are concerned about their children’s progress. By sitting and reading with their children, parents can see the kind of literacy instruction the kids are receiving. If children are trying to guess based on pictures, parents can talk to teachers about increasing phonics instruction.

“Teachers aren’t there doing necessarily bad things or disadvantaging kids purposefully or willfully,” Rasmussen said. “You have many great reading teachers using some effective strategies and some ineffective strategies.”

What can parents do at home to help their children learn to read?

Parents want to help their kids learn how to read but don’t want to push them to the point where they hate reading. “Parents at home can fall into the trap of thinking this is about drilling their kid,” said Cindy Jiban, a former educator and current principal academic lead at NWEA, a research-based non-profit focused on assessments and professional learning opportunities. “This is unfortunate,” Jiban said. “It sets up a parent-child interaction that makes it, ‘Ugh, there’s this thing that’s not fun.’” Instead, Jiban advises making decoding playful. Here are some ideas:

  • Challenge kids to find everything in the house that starts with a specific sound.
  • Stretch out one word in a sentence. Ask your child to “pass the salt” but say the individual sounds in the word “salt” instead of the word itself.
  • Ask your child to figure out what every family member’s name would be if it started with a “b” sound.
  • Sing that annoying “Banana fana fo fanna song.” Jiban said that kind of playful activity can actually help a kid think about the sounds that correspond with letters even if they’re not looking at a letter right in front of them.
  • Read your child’s favorite book over and over again. For books that children know well, Jiban suggests that children use their finger to follow along as each word is read. Parents can do the same, or come up with another strategy to help kids follow which words they’re reading on a page.

Giving a child diverse experiences that seem to have nothing to do with reading can also help a child’s reading ability. By having a variety of experiences, Rasmussen said, children will be able to apply their own knowledge to better comprehend texts about various topics.

This story about teaching children to read was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s newsletter.

The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn't mean it's free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.

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How to teach a child to read: important rules and effective methods Lifehacker has selected the best ways for responsible parents.

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How to understand that it's time: signs of psychological readiness

  1. The child is fluent in sentences and understands the meaning of what is said.
  2. The child distinguishes sounds (what speech therapists call developed phonemic hearing). Simply put, the baby will easily understand by ear where house and bow , and where - volume and hatch .
  3. Your child pronounces all the sounds and has no speech problems.
  4. The child understands directions: left-right, up-down. Let's omit the point that adults often confuse right and left. For learning to read, it is important that the baby can follow the text from left to right and from top to bottom.

8 rules that will help teach your child to read

Set an example

In a family where there is a culture and tradition of reading, children themselves will reach for books. Read not because it is necessary and useful, but because it is a pleasure for you.

Read together and discuss

You read aloud and then look at the picture together, encouraging the child to interact with the book: “Who is this picture? Can you show me the cat's ears? And who is this standing next to her? Older children can be asked more difficult questions: “Why did he do this? What do you think will happen next?"

Go from simple to complex

Start with sounds, then move on to syllables. Let the words consisting of repeated syllables be the first: ma-ma, pa-pa, uncle-dya, nya-nya . After them, move on to more complex combinations: ko-t, zhu-k, do-m .

Show that letters are everywhere

Play a game. Let the child find the letters that surround him on the street and at home. These are the names of stores, and memos on information stands, and even traffic light messages: it happens that the inscription “Go” lights up on green, and “Wait so many seconds” on red.

Play

And play again. Stack blocks with letters and syllables, make up words, ask your child to read you some kind of sign or inscription on the packaging in the store.

Use every opportunity to practice

Whether you are waiting in line at the clinic or driving somewhere, take out a picture book with short stories to accompany them and invite your child to read together.

Build on your success

Repeat familiar texts, look for familiar characters in new stories. The runaway bunny is found in both "Teremka" and "Kolobok".

Do not force

This is perhaps the most important thing. Don't take away a child's childhood. Learning should not go through violence and tears.

6 time-tested methods

ABCs and primers

katarina_rosh/livejournal.com

Traditional, but the longest way. The difference between these books is that the alphabet fixes each letter with a mnemonic picture: a drum will be drawn on the page from B , and a spinning top next to Yu . The alphabet helps to remember letters and - often - interesting rhymes, but will not teach you how to read.

The primer consistently teaches the child to combine sounds into syllables, and syllables into words. This process is not easy and requires perseverance.

There are quite a lot of author's primers now. According to the books of Nadezhda Betenkova, Vseslav Goretsky, Dmitry Fonin, Natalya Pavlova, children can study both with their parents before school and in the first grade.

Parents agree that one of the most understandable methods for teaching preschoolers is Nadezhda Zhukova's primer. The author simply explains the most difficult thing for a child: how to turn letters into syllables, how to read ma-ma , and not start naming individual letters me-a-me-a .

Zaitsev's Cubes

igrushkinadom.com

If a child masters letters and syllables sequentially while learning the ABC book, then in 52 Zaitsev's Cubes he is given access to everything at once: a single letter or combinations of a consonant and a vowel, a consonant and a hard or soft sign.

The child effortlessly learns the differences between voiceless and voiced sounds, because the cubes with voiceless consonants are filled with wood, and the cubes with voiced consonants are filled with metal.

Cubes differ in size. The large ones depict hard warehouses, the small ones - soft ones. The author of the technique explains this by the fact that when we pronounce to (hard warehouse), the mouth opens wide, or (soft warehouse) - lips in a half smile.

The set includes tables with warehouses that a parent sings (yes, he doesn't speak, but sings) to his child.

The child quickly masters reading with the help of cubes, but may begin to swallow the endings and will face difficulties already at school when parsing a word by composition.

"Skladushki" and "Teremki" by Vyacheslav Voskobovich

igrushkinadom.com

In "Skladushki" Vyacheslav Voskobovich reworked Zaitsev's idea: 21 cards represent all the warehouses of the Russian language with nice thematic pictures. Included is a CD with songs, the texts of which go under each picture.

Folders are great for kids who like looking at pictures. Each of them is an occasion to discuss with the child where the kitten is, what the puppy is doing, where the beetle flew.

It is possible to teach a child with these cards from the age of three. At the same time, it is worth noting that the author of the methodology himself does not consider it necessary. Vyacheslav Voskobovich: “How to keep a child in yourself? Play!" boost early development.

igrushkinadom.com

"Teremki" by Voskobovich consist of 12 wooden cubes with consonants and 12 cardboard cubes with vowels. First, the child gets acquainted with the alphabet and tries with the help of parents to come up with words that begin with each of the letters.

Then it's time to learn the syllables. A is inserted into the tower with the letter M - and the first syllable is obtained ma . From several towers you can lay out words. Learning is based on play. So, when replacing the vowel , the house will turn into smoke .

You can start playing tower blocks from the age of two. At the same time, parents will not be left alone with the cubes: the kit includes a manual with a detailed description of the methodology and game options.

Dynamic Chaplygin Cubes

umnitsa.ru

Evgeny Chaplygin's manual includes 10 cubes and 10 moving blocks. Each dynamic block consists of a pair - a consonant and a vowel. The task of the child is to twist the cubes and find a pair.

At the initial stage, as with any other method of learning to read in warehouses, the child makes the simplest words from repeating syllables: ma-ma, pa-pa, ba-ba . The involved motor skills help to quickly remember the shape of the letters, and the search for already familiar syllables turns into an exciting game. The cubes are accompanied by a manual describing the methodology and words that can be composed.

The optimal age for classes is 4-5 years. You can start earlier, but only in the game format.

Doman's cards

steshka.ru

American doctor Glenn Doman proposes to teach children not individual letters or even syllables, but whole words. Parents name and show the child the words on the cards for 1-2 seconds. In this case, the baby is not required to repeat what he heard.

Classes start with 15 cards with the simplest concepts like mom and dad . Gradually, the number of words increases, those already learned leave the set, and the child begins to study phrases: for example, color + object, size + object.

How can one understand that a child has understood and memorized the visual image of a word, if the author of the methodology recommends starting classes from birth? It is worth paying attention to an important detail that parents miss in an attempt to make their child the smartest, most developed, the best.

Glenn Doman in "The Harmonious Development of the Child" strongly emphasizes that it is not necessary to arrange tests and checks for the child: kids do not like this and lose interest in classes.

It's better to remember 50 cards out of 100 than 10 out of 10.

Glenn Doman

But given that parents can't help but check, he advises the child to play the game if they want and are ready. For example, you can put a few cards and ask to bring one or point to it.

Today, psychologists, neurophysiologists Steven Novella, MD, "Psychomotor Patterning" and pediatricians American Academy of Pediatrics "The Doman-Delacato Treatment of Neurologically Handicapped Children" agree that the Doman method is not aimed at teaching reading, but at mechanical memorization of visual images of words. The child turns out to be an object of learning and is almost deprived of the opportunity to learn something on his own.

It is also worth adding: in order to proceed to the Doman reading stage, parents need to prepare cards with all (!) words that are found in a particular book.

6. Montessori Reading

howwemontessori.com

Montessori reading comes from the reverse: first we write and only then we read. Letters are the same pictures, so you first need to learn how to draw them and only then engage in pronunciation and reading. Children begin by tracing and shading the letters, and through this, they memorize their outline. When several vowels and consonants have been studied, they move on to the first simple words.

Much attention is paid to the tactile component, so children can literally touch the alphabet, cut out of rough or velvety paper.

The value of the methodology lies in learning through play. So, you can put a rough letter and a plate of semolina in front of the child and offer to first circle the sign with your finger, and then repeat this on the semolina.

The difficulty for parents is to purchase or prepare a significant amount of handouts.

Conclusions

On the Internet and on posters advertising "educators", you will be offered ultra-modern methods for teaching a child to read at three, two years old, or even from birth. But let's be realistic: a happy mother is needed a year, not developmental activities.

The myth that it's too late after three is firmly planted in the minds and hearts of tired parents and is actively fueled by marketers.

The authors of the methods unanimously insist that the most natural learning process for a child is through play, and not through classes in which the parent plays the role of a strict controller. Your main assistant in learning is the curiosity of the child himself.

Some children will study for six months and start reading at three, others have to wait a couple of years to learn in just a month. Focus on the interests of the child. If he likes books and pictures, then primers and Folders will come to the rescue. If he is a fidget, then cubes and the Montessori system will help.

In learning to read, everything is simple and complex at the same time. If your child often sees you with a book, you have a tradition of reading before bed, your chances of getting your baby interested in reading will increase significantly.

Tell us in the comments how you teach reading and what are your children's favorite books.

How to teach a child to read. 5 ways to teach your child quickly and correctly.

The whole truth about how to choose a backpack for a first grader.

  1. Articles
  2. How to teach a child to read. 5 ways to teach your child quickly and correctly.

Reading is one of the very first skills that a child will master in his life. In our society, literacy is the key to success, and when reading ability does not develop within one or two classes, parents begin to feel that they have failed. However, most likely, the matter is in the choice of the method of education - there are no right and wrong books, methods, games, it all depends on the individual characteristics of the baby. There are no two children who simultaneously learned to read at the same pace, but for each case, the main thing is patience, diligence, perseverance.

In our article “What a future first grader should know when going to school”, we talked about the fact that reading by syllable is one of the skills that helps a child better adapt to the first grade. Therefore, it is worth starting training in advance, but taking into account the readiness of the child to learn.

How to get a child interested in reading?

Most children learn to read at the age of 5-7 years. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children, as the best way to instill a love of books is by example. Babies may not understand what you are reading, but they will become familiar with what a book is, learn to distinguish drawing from print. Toddlers love to imitate adults, play with printed materials, start flipping pages - this is another option for training fine motor skills. The main thing for parents at first is to form positive associations in the baby associated with the books they read. Read - and they will want to read, smile, opening a fresh volume, - children will also smile, flipping through the pages!

Is the child ready to learn to read: how to determine?

  • Desire to learn. Motivation is an essential component of learning - children need to get excited, really interested to start reading, then they will do their best to learn.

  • Games “I write” and “I read”. If you saw that the baby took the book and examines the pages, imitates reading, or tries to draw with a pencil not just drawings, but zigzags resembling letters, these are signs that you should pay attention to.

  • Involvement in history and attentiveness. How attentively does the child listen to the story being read? How involved is he in the story you are reading? Can he retell it? If the baby not only hears, but listens with interest and remembers what you read to him, you can certainly take the first steps towards his education.

  • Understanding how to open a book, flipping through, realizing that sentences are read from left to right is another bell that indicates a child's interest.

  • Interest. Can your toddler point to large letters and identify them with something familiar, recognize multiple lowercase letters? When the text you read ceases to be just a set of characters for him, take a closer look.

  • The ability to distinguish readable sounds. A good way to determine if the baby knows about the sound structure of words is to check if he can rhyme simple words, determine the first and last sound.

  • Developed oral language. If your son or daughter does not have problems with pronunciation and errors in syllable coordination, he or she can start learning.

You can teach to read in several stages, depending on the age of a small student:

  • 2-3 years - work is underway on figurative thinking, parents arouse interest in reading fairy tales, look at pictures together.

  • 4-5 years - the first acquaintance with the alphabet takes place, simple sound-letter learning.

  • 5-6 years - you can teach to read words, sentences, retell a readable text.

Basic training rules

What is the most successful approach to early learning to read? Let your child set their own pace and enjoy what they are doing. Do not force him to memorize numbers, shapes, names of objects, sentences you read. On the contrary, encourage curiosity, let the little one learn to explore on his own, discover new things, without fear of mistakes. The main condition is the desire of the smallest student. Read books to your baby that he really likes and entertains, the readable text should not be boring! Do not force reading when the child does not want it - this can permanently turn him away from books.

Use games - it is in a playful way that preschoolers most easily learn the information they read, so combine the useful with the pleasant. Keep the child interested, but do not make the classes too long - it is better to spend less time studying, but do it more often. Classes should be diversified with light warm-ups or outdoor games, which help relieve stress, distract and gain strength to continue studying.

Good parents must remain patient and not compare their child's progress to other children's - remember that everyone's learning process is at their own pace. Listen to the baby, if right now he does not want to read, pick another time. For each preschooler, you can choose the best home teaching method - look at the different methods, choosing the one that suits your baby.

Teaching methods

Montessori method

The Italian teacher and doctor Maria Montessori proposed a method of teaching reading, according to which you must first learn to write, and only then read. Small children perceive lettering as drawings, so it's easier to start by teaching a preschooler how to write the alphabet correctly. Use cursive, not block characters - rounded characters are easier to read for preschoolers. The methodology provides for training without manuals, books, primers. You will need paper, a pencil, toy three-dimensional letters. The process takes place in several stages:

  • Hand training. Before you learn to write, teach your child to circle a variety of objects, to hatch drawings. Such exercises train the hand and fingers, develop fine motor skills. If the baby gets used to holding a pencil in his hand, the first letters will come out easily, without much effort.

  • "Feeling" letters. Tactile contact is one of the first ways a child explores the world. Let him "touch" to get acquainted with the alphabet. You can buy tables with a convex alphabet or cut out letters yourself from fabric, soft paper. It is better that the preschooler is pleased to touch them, then he will learn the alphabet very quickly, he will be able to compose syllables on his own.

  • Compilation of words. Having learned the alphabet, children are ready to connect letters into syllables, and syllables into words.

  • First writing lessons. At this stage, some children immediately write in full sentences, some prefer drawing individual letters. Do not rush the preschooler, give him enough time to learn the art of writing. After numerous trainings, your son or daughter will learn how to correctly write the words and sentences they know.

  • Reading. Composing familiar concepts from cut out letters or trying to write them with a finger in the sand, the child will repeat them, gradually moving from writing to being able to read. With each practice, the words will become easier to read for him.

Zaitsev Cubes

Zaitsev's technique is based on a game form of learning, for this they use cubes developed by a famous teacher. According to this method, in order to teach a child to read, you do not need to use the alphabet, which is more likely to confuse than help. Zaitsev believed: the alphabet is harmful due to the use of pictures. For example, if a baby remembers the letter “A” associated with a picture of a stork, and “M” with a picture of a mouse, he may decide: to write “mother” you need two storks and two mice. The readable text will be clearer if you first learn to write, make warehouses, and only then start reading. There are several rules for this technique:

  • The basic unit of the language according to this method is not a syllable, the basic unit is a warehouse, that is, a combination of consonant and vowel sounds. For example: PA-PA, MA-MA, SA-MO-LE-T.

  • Warehouses are presented to the child not in a book or cards, but on cubes that are designed to develop analytical thinking. They differ in colors, sizes, have different content, due to which they produce a different sound. A preschooler will learn to distinguish and memorize them by sound, touch, appearance, using all the senses. Warehouses are written on the edges, not syllables.

  • Learning takes place in a playful way - let the child build towers from cubes, gradually moving on to compiling readable words. You can sing warehouses, speak out loud, start writing (not necessarily with a pencil, just move your finger along the table).

  • There are 52 large and small cubes in the set, 7 are repeated so that you can make words with the same warehouses. The letters are written in different colors, there is a cube with punctuation marks. Products are made of different materials, there are wooden, iron, golden and combined.

Phonetic method

The phonetic or sound technique is used in schools, so if you start teaching a child using it, it will be easier for him to adapt to learning already sitting at a desk. This method is easy to use at home, useful for practicing correct pronunciation, suitable for 5-6 year old preschoolers, but may not be practical for earlier reading. The technique consists of several stages: first, the baby must be taught to distinguish sounds in readable words, then they must be taught to correctly write sounds in letters, put what is written into syllables, and then into words and sentences.

Glen Doman cards

According to the methodology developed by Glen Doman, you need to start reading with individual words, not syllables. The technique is suitable for the youngest children, even those who are only a couple of months old. The child is shown cards with words in a certain order, correctly and carefully repeating what is written aloud, gradually moving on to phrases, sentences and books. In total - 5 steps:

  • Step number 1: 15 cards with inscriptions are used that may be interesting and familiar to the child (“mom”, “dad”, names of pets, names of favorite dishes). Cards need to be alternated and shown, explaining what is written. Readable cards are held in the hands of a parent, the viewing time of each is 1-2 seconds. After the first 15 words, you should add the following, on average, you should learn 5 new concepts per day.

  • Step number 2: you need to analyze the vocabulary of a preschooler and start compiling phrases. The easiest way to perceive phrases with colors, dimensions, familiar characteristics - “red apple”, “big stool”, “clean hands”.

  • Step #3: You should start with 5 simple sentences, demonstrating them three times a day, and after 3-5 days, start replacing them with new readable cards.

  • Step number 4: it will be correct to teach how to read common sentences, complicating them with new words. For example, “mom is cooking” can be turned into “mom is cooking soup”. Gradually, the child will be ready to move on to the final stage - the book.

  • Step #5: After reading cards with large letters, you can move on to books with smaller fonts. The first book must comply with several rules: vocabulary - 50-100 familiar words, one sentence per page, pictures after the text. It is not necessary to purchase ready-made books, you can make them yourself, the main thing is that the material you read is of interest to your son or daughter.

Olga Soboleva's technique

The methodology of the Russian teacher Olga Soboleva is based on motivation by creating confidence in the child that reading is pleasant. Learning takes place in the form of a game using associations. For example, the letter “M” should be associated with the native word “mother”. At the same time, the method excludes learning by syllables, you need to start with words, after which sentences are mastered immediately. Games gradually move to books, so that the love of reading is instilled in the preschooler.

How to teach reading independently and at home

Almost all teaching methods agree that the easiest way is to teach a preschooler to read in a playful way, without coercion, to use the example of parents and readable material that is understandable to him. Remember the simple rules: