5 Tips to Teach Your Child to Read
Here are five steps to jumpstart your child’s reading success and lay a strong foundation.
You have to believe your child can learn what you’re going to teach them.
Without this first step, you won’t get very far. If you don’t think your child is capable of learning what you want to teach them, they will probably feel that too. I have three guiding sentences when teaching children anything.
This is important.
You can’t do this…yet.
I’m not going to give up on you.
2. Practise phonological awareness
If learning to read was like building a house then phonological awareness is the foundation.
Without a strong foundation on a house, the walls and roof will cave in…eventually
This is what I wish I had known at the beginning of my teaching career. This is what makes an astonishing difference in developing a strong reader.
Phonological awareness is a listening skill that you can do with your eyes closed (yes, really)!
Here are some examples of phonological awareness…
Phonological awareness leads the way to phonemic awareness which is the BIGGEST predictor of long-term reading success.
Phonemic awareness is about changing sounds in words…usually by the end of Kindergarten/ beginning of Grade 1 is when children typically can change and manipulate a sound by listening. 👂
For example: If you took away the /g/ in glove what word is left? Answer: love.
3. Learn 2-3 letter sounds at a time.
I suggest starting with these 8 or why not start with your child’s letter of their first name to make it meaningful? Letter sounds help children learn to read. Knowing letter names won’t help your child read but it is important to know both so I recommend teaching the letter sound and name at the same time. Download the ABC flashcards for FREE here.
ABC Flashcards by Edzocate
4. Mouth shape
Grab a little mirror and talk about what your mouth is doing when you make certain letter sounds. Notice…
What are your teeth doing?
What are your lips doing?
What is your tongue doing?
What is your voice box doing?
How is your air flowing?
For example: When I make the /t/ sound, my lips are stretched wide, my teeth are together but not touching, the tip of my tongue is moving to the roof of my mouth behind my top teeth and a little puff of air is coming out of my mouth. I don’t feel a vibration in my voice box (place a hand on your neck).
5. Follow their interests.
I was recently teaching a boy who loved garbage trucks. We were focusing on learning three letter sounds at a time. I said the letter sound, he found the card, said the letter sound and placed it inside the garbage truck.
I could sense he was beginning to get restless so we switched up the activity after a few minutes and added movement. I placed the three cards on the floor and he ran to the sound I said and repeated the sound himself.
Learning letter sounds and teaching your child to read can be short, sharp and most of all fun.
If you want all the how-to, scripts and resources to help your child become a strong reader, check out my Reading Foundations Course. I think my favourite part about this course is that it has over 100 days of phonological awareness activities that will skyrocket your child’s reading success.
I’m cheering you on.
Zoe x
