Tips for Learning How to Read - Using Phonics to Help

Updated on April 23, 2008
T.A. asks from Renton, WA
38 answers

Hello,

Does anyone have any tips to help with reading?

Our daughter gets frustrated and pretends that she is bored with reading. She tries to sound out some or parts of words. I know that it is a start, but I just do not want her to get behind.

One friend had a great tip of writing words with a dry erase pen on the mirror so they can see it every time they wash their hands and brush theur teeth. We have tried flash cards and easy learning books.

She has explained that it is just too hard or will even say she is too tired.

Please help...I do not know what else to do.

Thank you in advance for your help,
T.

1 mom found this helpful

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K.G.

answers from Seattle on

Guys, I was gonna say that with English language is harder in particular. Is't not the kind of the language where you can learn the letters (which they learn so early) and just simply connect them together to make the word but you have to remember each word by heart. Phonetic, and Semantic i think are the terms for these two kids of groups. Anyways, Good luck!

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C.J.

answers from Seattle on

We ended up using Hooked On Phonics. It works as great as they say. They've really addressed the attention span of children, the reward system children need and an efficient order of learning. My son still doesn't like reading, but H.O.P got him caught up to his grade level of reading. We used it his 2nd grade year. Start early and I bet she'll do great. Look for it on eBay and craigslist, I only paid $85 for mine on eBay. I got the one with the 5 different stages (has 5 different boxes-yellow,orange, red, green and blue).

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J.M.

answers from Portland on

My granddaughter struggled and struggled with reading. I would work with her every night and we just didn't seem to be getting anywhere. Finally I was at the library and say a Dick and Jane book. I love them as that is what I grew up with. They are the best. They start out really easy. See Dick. See Dick Run.Run run run Dick. See Jane. Very repetitive. As the book goes along the sentences get harder and there is more of a story line. At the beginning of the year my granddaughter struggled and now she is in the top reading group. You can buy these books at Barnes and Noble or find them at the library. One other tip my son's first grade teacher told me. Let them try to sound it out but tell them the word before they get frustrated. When they sound it out wrong don't tell them no just say the word correctly. Most important, if you are starting to get frustrated end the session and do something fun.

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K.H.

answers from Seattle on

If she's having difficulty I highly recommend doing the battery of test: eyes, to make sure she can see the words; If that's fine start with testing for dyslexia. Better to get it checked out and be negative than to try everything else under the sun and not have it work. If it is negative, talk to her teachers in school (if she is in school) or preschool. Sometimes something as simple as a piece of paper to help her keep her place can make a huge difference. My kids were both in a program called "Read Naturally" which involved listening to and reading with books on tape. They read it cold first, then listened two or three times, then read it again. It took a couple years for them to become good readers, but it worked. This was a program in their elementary school. And the teacher was wonderful. Thie kids loved being in her special reading group - and there were several others so it wasn't just them. Lots of love and positive reinforcement for the attempts (at home and at school).
Much luck with your situation!

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D.M.

answers from Anchorage on

label Everything! cupboard-door-mirror ect. Also, try some different learn to read books at the liabrary. I homeschooled and it took forever to find something that worked for my middle. Regular phonics just didn't click. She finaly learned on "Teach you child to Read in One Hundread Easy Lessons" not a book I had considered before but in 3 pages it was obviously the one!

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C.G.

answers from Portland on

As a reading specialist, I would encourage you to focus on interaction with books, rather than her reading them just yet. Go to the library and let her pick her books because choice is empowering for her. Do book walk-thru's just looking at the illustrations and "telling" the story or predicting what the story will be. Read to her and take a slower pace, lingering to look at the pictures and ask her what she's wondering, what she wants to know, how she would feel, etc. Read aloud to her and have her close her eyes and imagine the story without pictures. Foster an environment where words, characters, and stories are abundant but not forced.

Most importantly--model reading yourself. Find books you want to read. Tell her what you are reading about, the characters you met, what you like about it, and, if applicable, what you find easy and hard about reading. Best wishes for happy reading!

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K.S.

answers from Seattle on

Hello T.,

What is her background in reading so far? For instance, how often do you read to her? Did you start reading to her right away? Has she been excited about books before learnig to read them? If you want to call me, you may. I have taught for over 12 years with lots of different experiences. My number is ###-###-####

K.

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K.M.

answers from Seattle on

Well I myself used hooked on phonics when I was a child do to dificullty reading and honestly it did nothing for me it was a very irritating approch so my Grnadma would sit me down with a book of something that interested me and with my little brother the only thing that he had interest in was cars and trucks so she got a truck magizine and had him try to read that to her and eventully it actully worked I on the other hand used the little house on the prairie books cause I use to watch th eshow with my grams all the time so the book really interested me so try to find soemthing that really intersts your child and have her read that even if it is just a magizine because then she is still reading

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T.T.

answers from Richland on

Hi T.,
I was a kindergarten teacher for several years, prior to being a stay at home mommy. I would suggest that you try to make up as many games as possible - is your daughter in kindergarten or first grade? Games like sorting pictures into beginning letter sounds, writing word family lists together (ham, bam, slam, pam) and helping her see the differences and similaritites might help. Also getting some books that are very simple (her teacher should be able to recommend or lend you some) that have very basic text - two or three words a page and are very predictable will be good. When she sees that she can "read" these easy books succesfully, her confidence will grow tremendously. If she has lists of words that she needs to learn, games like "memory" where you make two sets of her words and then have her flip two at a time to find the matches is always fun. You can also make up simple sentences on a piece of paper and cut the words out individually- then have her put the sentence back together in order (be sure to include capitals and periods where they should be)
You can also go online and look for game ideas. Make learning to read fun, or she will come up with any and every excuse in the book to NOT do it. Enjoy this time! It is magical when a child feels good about reading :)

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L.M.

answers from Seattle on

Hello, both of my children used "Hooked on Phonics" from Costco. They learn to identify words and sounds, read books and play games all at the same time. It is a bit expensive but the box has three grade levels in it. I highly recommend it, it really helped my daughter who is in first grade this year. Another thing we do is read every night out loud so that she can build her confidence.

I hope this helps, good luck and hang in there.

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L.R.

answers from Seattle on

Is your daughter in Kindergarten or first grade? If she's in Kindergarten, I wouldn't worry too much. Each child learns to read at their own pace. If she's in first grade, I would definitely talk to her teacher to find out what is really going on.

If you want to do something at home, there is a program called Zoo phonics that teaches the sounds of the letters rather than the names of the letters. I used in it my 4-5 year old preschool class for the first time and most of my kids are trying to sound out words on their own, and some have figured out how to read already. Once again, this isn't because of the the program...it's not going to turn these kids into readers. It just enhanced their readiness.

Other than that, I would keep reading to her. Maybe make a time for the two of you to read. Bed time is always great for that

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L.S.

answers from Seattle on

Hi T.!

I am a behavioral therapist who works on reading with young kids in their homes. First, I'd like to suggest a book called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". It's a great learning book.

Second, have you worked on sight reading at all? Label pictures with the word of the picture and create duplicates. You can play matching and memory games with these cards. Once she masters the set, replace one of the cards with just the word (no picture) and have her play a matching game with them. When that set is mastered, replace the picture card with just a word card and have her matching just words. She should know what she is matching because you will tell her to "match cat" or whatever the word is. Then move on to using only one set of cards, layed out on the table and tell her to "find ___". Make sure to always reward her with praises and/or tangible reinforcements.

Another game you can play is to tape words up to the wall and tell each other to find them. She can tell you to find words as well so that you are playing an interactive game and she is able to participate on a different level than always being told what to do.

Games are a great way to get kids interested without putting too much pressure on them to perform.

Teaching sight reading as well as phonics should eventually produce a very strong reader.

Also remember that if there is too much pressure to perform and the child doesn't feel capable, she will not be interested and reading time will always be like pulling teeth. It's important to build her confidence and make the activity rewarding.

One last suggestion: talk to her teachers, find out if they have suggestions and find out how she does in the classroom. It's worth it to find out if she is being asked to read in front of the class and put on the spot or made to feel embarrassed about her abilities in front of the other kids.

Hope this helps!

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L.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi T.,
I'm a kindergarten teacher and my first question is, have you asked her teacher(s)? If so, what do/did they suggest? I've got some ideas, but want to know about what her teachers may or may not have recommended, first. Let me know. It's late and my brain isn't fully functioning right now, but I'll think about it and come up with some helpful suggestions in the next day or two. I would start by assessing how many of the letter names she knows (lower and upper case and not in alphabetical order) and how many of the letter sounds she knows. If you'd like, I can send you the assessment packet we use in our private school with our kids, just to get an idea of where she is. =0)
L.

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L.J.

answers from Portland on

My daughter is in Kindergarten and is also learning how to read. When she first started learning the sounds of letters we started playing the game what letter starts with this sound. She loved it. Then we ttarted doing that with small words...sounding out words like cat. She would have to guess what it is. When she figured it out she would get to write it down. We go over the words she knows. Many of those words we'll try to find a rhyming word as well. Once she gets the concept that just the first letter changes she realizes what she's done and she leanred new words too. she gets very excited with this. She loves the fact that she is learning and it's still a game.

We're also always reading to her and we let her help us read her brother. She loves reading his board book because many of the words that she knows are in there. She does get frustrated with the phonics and many words she just memorizes but we keep encouraging and try to make it fun.

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H.C.

answers from Seattle on

One thing you could try is to have her sound out a word (one that is repeated throughout a book) and have her go on a "treasure hunt" to find that word again. Perhaps a book like "Green Eggs & Ham" having her go and try to spot that phrase throughout the book. This is a fun game that helps with word recognition.

Another as mentioned by another person is to read to her whenever you can and perhaps choosing the same books for a while to get her familiar with them so that she starts to memorize them, which leads to easier reading. My mother said this is how I learned to read and she didn't even know I could until I was able to when I entered school. Once she knows a certain book, (especially one with rhyming words helps) you can read the phrase but leave out the last word or two for her to fill in and point to the words that you are leaving out. You can leave out more and more words as she gets better as well. All of this aids in her confidence to read as well as eliminates the boredom of getting stuck on one page with all the words to read herself.

Hope that helps! Best of luck!

~H. C.

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D.D.

answers from Seattle on

I purchased "Hooked on Phonics" at Costco for about $100. It works really well.

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A.E.

answers from Portland on

Hello T.-
It's great that you work with your daughter....just the time you spend, showing her reading is important, is something that will help her in the long run. I am a teacher. Keep surrounding your child with reading and it will come eventually. Phonics is helpful if a kid's brain works that way, but don't push it if it frustrates her. Some kids' brains are not wired well for reading....be sure to praise her in areas that she is strong, because reading may never be her strong point. Do check into her vision....maybe the fatigue is due to tired eyes. And also, read books that have obvious pictures...to help her make the connection between words and pictures. It builds confidence in them as they guess the word from the picture....then point out the sounds in the word that she knows. Focus on beginning and end sounds and then run the sounds together (say, for map "MMMMM" and then "PPPPP" and then "map"). Keep building on what you know she already knows...to boost confidence. Is your daughter in school? Ask her teacher for ideas if she is. Just keep reading with her....she's taking stuff in as you do. Look for signs of readiness....when she points at certain letters or pictures. HOpe this helps. A.

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L.C.

answers from Seattle on

Try the website www.starfall.com
It has some fun reading games.

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D.I.

answers from Seattle on

HI,
You've got some good advice here, one thing that I haven't seen is some helpful websites so here are a few of my favorite. http://www.beenleigss.qld.edu.au/requested_sites/sounds/
and starfall phonics. http://www.starfall.com. Starfall is a great program totally free. There are worksheets that you can print out and do that way or it is all on the computer in game format so they are having a lot of fun reading. There is a feature to sound out each word just by clicking on it. I use the worksheets with my 5 year old then once she is done with those, she is able to go to the computer and read the story. It's been very helpful for us. We also do word families. I write them on flash cards then once she knows a family we have a big celebration about how many words she knows. Word family example: the "at" family. cat, pat, rat, sat, mat, fat, bat, hat, etc. etc. by learning "at" she can now read 8 words! Maybe you could have a special celebration for 25 words or something.

Before I was a stay at home mom I was a teacher for 5 years. There are lots of great programs out there- just remember that all kids learn at different paces so the more fun you can make it the better. Good luck!

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P.C.

answers from Richland on

I tried this a few years old with a friend's son that I used to babysit and it worked well. I started with two letter words like, "as, at, is, it" etc. then I went to three letter words like, "has, hat, his, hit", then we went to 4 letter words like, "this, that, chat" so when we jumped to 6 or 7 letter words at first he thought he won't be able to read these "big words" but I showed him that alot of them were smaller words put together. This was "our secret" because if all the other kids knew who easy it was to read big words they would want to read for themselves instead hime reading to them! Big ego boost! Hope it works for you. Good Luck

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K.K.

answers from Seattle on

Hi T.,
Hooked on Phonics is good, but didn't work for my son who isn't that great with memorizing the letter/sounds - he needed to see and hear the sounds in action before he realized that reading could be fun. Try and make it fun by making up games - lay the letters out on the floor and say "Let's jump to letter B" or have a hunt for things that start with "S". I'd really recommend "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons." The kids work at their own pace and each lesson builds on the previous one. This method does not incorporate games, but I use them along with the book. Also, putting words up around your house so she can see the words next to the object.
And finally, make sure you've had her eyes checked. We got our son's checked before school started and he wasn't even using his left eye it was so out of focus! Now he has glasses and is having much better success. Best of luck!

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T.H.

answers from Seattle on

Being a person with an active imagination myself, I can easily imagine how your child can truly be bored with all of the usual methods of teaching. Maybe you can have her start making her own book of the alphabet using magazines to cut out pictures or drawing her own for each letter of the alphabet. Have an letter of the week to start out with; building your own unit using foods, clothing, books, etc. Food: Apples, apricots, - Clothing: apron. Hopefully you are getting the idea. Also, when I was teaching my now 13 year old son to read, I noticed that when he wrote he only used the upper case letters and when we started working on the lower case letters he started paying more attention. We were using flash cards with both the upper and lower case letters on each card. We just needed to separate them for him to have success. I have also noticed that when my kids are doing their work (younger are both homeschooled, oldest one out of school now) when they are zoning out and not doing their work they usually don't know how to do what they are working on. Also, what interests your child? If she is into art, why not find her books on art? Even if some of the words are too hard it is better than nothing. Ask your local librarian for help finding appropriate level reading books that will interest her. It is hard to keep focus on something that does not intrigue you. Can you? Hope this helps.

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J.B.

answers from Seattle on

Dear T.,

I would get her eyes checked. My son, who loved books ever since he could hold them, didn't really figure out the reading thing until he was 8 or 9. We discovered when he was 7 that he has amblioplia (basically only one eye sees well) and it made it very hard for him to read. He didn't squint of say things were blurry, because blurry is all he ever knew! But he would complain that he felt tired after reading for even only a few minutes and struggled way more than I expected. One of his friends also had trouble reading because her eyes didn't track together.
Anyway, we got him glasses and did eye drop treatment and that coupled with finding great books, he now reads all the time- I have to make him stop!

He also has an amazing imagination and the books/stories he was interested in were way beyond his level and the books in his level were silly, simple, and boring. He hated phonics, rules, etc. The trick I used to get him to read was finding a good book he wanted me to read aloud (The Little House On the Praire series) and I would make him read me the first paragraph or two and then I would finish the chapter. I would help him muddle through the words and explain all the crazy rules when they came up. We had a lot of fun doing this. It gave him confidence to tackle bigger books. I think the thing that really pushed him over the edge (in a good way) was he wanted me to read a particular book often and I didn't have the time so he finally just sat down and read it himself.

I would limit books on tape and TV as they are way easier than reading herself.

In contrast, my 6 yr. old is already reading very well and probably spells better than her older brother.

All in all try to be patient, positive, encouraging, and help her see the joy, and neccesity, of reading!

Good Luck!

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J.L.

answers from Corvallis on

I know this may sound way out there, but how are her eyes? I ask because my daughter struggled with reading and we found out that she needed glasses.
We used to have a huge white board that the kids would use for writing and math. They thought it was cool to write on there and I had an easier time to get them to focus when working with them on letters and numbers. We had many different colors of markers and I would let them choose. My youngest seems to prefer games. There are quite a few games that will encourage letter recognition and sound. My daoughter loves the DORA THE EXPlORER ALPHABET board game. Kids seem to be less resistant when they think they are playing and not realizing they are learning.

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L.L.

answers from Seattle on

Hi T.,
Your daughter sounds like a ton of fun!
If she is six years old, her teachers are probably expecting her to read quite a bit by now. This is a vital time for you to find out what they are using in her school so you can supplement it at home if needed. When my son and step-daughter were young I got involved with this and started volunteering as a tutor. It developed into a passion and now I tutor for a living.
Here are some tips for you:
Unfortunately phonics instruction varies a great deal between schools and even between teachers. In most schools it has been watered down by the theories of "Whole Language" which state that people should learn to read whole words rather than the parts of the words. While there are some interesting points to be made for this method, most children need to learn the parts of the words so they can then put them together.

I don't know how much you know, so I will give you some basics. Phonics is the system of learning sounds of the alphabetic code and how to put them together to make words.
This is best done with just a few sounds at first, such as
the vowel "a" with a few consonants like m,p,t,s. Several words can be made: pat,map,pam,sat,sam,tap,sap,am,at,a.
Learning the other short vowel sounds gives many words that can put into sentences and short stories.
A child should be given much practice with three letter words before expecting them to do more combinations.
Most schools do not allow enough time for the child to master these types of words. Great confusion results.
I help parents/kids to untangle this or prevent it from happening.
I do free consultations/assessments to orient parents to the subject. Let me know if I can help you further and we can chat. ###-###-####. (In Shoreline)
L. Lawson
Lawson Tutoring and Homeschool Enrichment
____@____.com

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J.T.

answers from Portland on

T., your daughter is very young. She will catch on when she is ready. Most kids don't have enough visual accuity to read until they are around six years old. This is one reason that schools start teaching reading in first grade. If she truly needs extra help, her teacher should be able to recognize it. I really think that we, as parents, expect too much from our little ones. Often they get frustrated because they feel as though they are not measuring up to the expectations placed on them. I would advise you to let your daughter go at her own pace. Take her to the library, and have her pick out the books she wants. We can encourage our kids without pressuring them. I think you can rest assured that she's just fine. I wish you lots of luck and happiness!

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M.W.

answers from Portland on

Hello~
My son, Mason, is a young 2nd grader, he will turn 8 this August. We have struggled with reading as well as with his confidence in reading. I love his teacher because she has been such a positive influence for both my son and I. She continually reminds me that he is developmentally right where he should be, he is just behind as a second grader and only because he is so young.

Some things I have done is tape little notecards with 1st-2nd grade sight words all over the house where my son can see them and say them in his head (places like on doors, light switches, in the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and on the dog food containers) this way he is constantly recognizing them. I leave them up in that spot for about a week then move them all around for another week. After about 2-3 weeks I put up a new set of 10-12 words. It has seemed to really help.

I had his teacher look at a book that I thought was a good one for Mason to read, she looked at it and thought that it was a little too difficult right now. So make sure that what she is reading it is her level. Reading at home should be easy practice, when at school she should be working harder. This way of thinking has made less of a battle when it comes time for homework and reading.

Good luck and stay positive, it will all come togehter soon!
M.

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C.A.

answers from Seattle on

My 2 cents:
1. Check her eyes.
2. www.starfall.com is a very fun site for the kids.
3. I also recommend the book "Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons".
4. Don't worry: My oldest son started reading at age 9 - he just wasn't ready before then - (he is now 11) and he reads anything he can get his hands on (e.g.: Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Ivanhoe (adult version), Redwall series, etc.). My younger son is 8 3/4 and just now starting to read. He lacked confidence. Starfall.com has helped. Kids learn at different rates. Sounds like you are doing a great job with her! Have fun!

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A.C.

answers from Portland on

Hi T.! I have been given a reading resource that has come highly recommended by many moms, called "How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" It is a book written by Siegfried Engelmann. I haven't had the chance to dive into it myself, but I thought I would pass it on!

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C.C.

answers from Seattle on

I used "100 Easy Lessons to Teach Your Child to Read." Each lesson lasts about 15-20 minutes, is a lot of fun, and is completely scripted. I did it with my daughter until she was reading on her own, and she's top of the class...now I've started them with my son.

How much do you read to her? Kids copy their parents, too...but more than anything, she needs to have books she CAN read as well as books you read to her. If you read every day, the group of books she can read will grow longer and longer.

Good luck with this!

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

This might be obvious - but have you had her eyes checked? Sometimes vision problems, even small ones can make a child literally feel tired when trying to read - or give them a headache.

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K.H.

answers from Seattle on

How often do you read? How often do you read to her? I think if you back off on the pressure or trying to "teach" her to read, and just spend more time doing it together as a fun activity you will find she picks up on it. Right now it sounds like she's actively resisting you which means you're in for more frustration.

My children are both incredibly early readers (they are 6 and 4). But I never "taught" them how to read. For one, we don't have a TV, so TV-viewing didn't interfere with picking up a book or pencil and paper to scribble on. For another, I read often enough (both for myself and to them). And finally, we go and hang out at the library while I check my email or take books out. At first my kids would just goof off or whatever but now they grab books avidly.

YMMV but my advice is - stop teaching and start doing more reading yourself, have fun with her, and she'll catch on soon enough!

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A.W.

answers from Anchorage on

All i can say is computer programs that plays games with them to teach and dvds that teach.
You may help also when you give her an apple or such to spell apple out verbally without her knowing what your really doing. Sidewalk chalk is also a good example for another game you can play if you dont want her on the computer

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E.R.

answers from Medford on

For my daughter it was learning all the letters sounds then putting them together. Emergent reading. We played games when driving around... Looking at signs.

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J.M.

answers from Portland on

The main thing I have heard lately is finding books with her favorite cartoon characters. For our boys it was Calvin and Hobbes.

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N.W.

answers from Eugene on

Hi T.. Even tho we know that all children learn to read at different ages, it's hard not to worry when one of ours is a late reader. Of my four children, one taught herself to read at 4 1/2, and my youngest boy didn't start blending 2 sounds together til he was 8 1/2!

I taught my children to read using phonics. They learned groups of letter at a time: first the consonants that make sounds like their name, b, l, m, n etc. Then we worked on short vowels, more difficult consonants like c and w and after all the basics, they learned unusual spellings and exceptions to the rules. I made my own flashcards on index cards which they could mix and match to make words.

When I read aloud to them I would pretend to have trouble reading certain words and my children would help me sound them out. This would happen every few sentences so it didn't interrupt the story too much but gave them a chance to practice the letters they were learning.

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J.M.

answers from Portland on

Have you had her eyesight checked? Maybe she is having trouble seeing the words?

We always played games at the dinner table with spelling and math, nothing difficult having the boys spell easy words and rhyming games. Both my boys are good readers, although the older one did struggle with outloud reading, he could (and still can) read silently very quickly.,

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T.B.

answers from Seattle on

Hi T.,
Your sweet little girl is letting you know she is unable or not ready to start reading. She may learn differently. With her wonderful imagination, I might suspect she is a right-brained picture thinker. There are some methods out there for 'right brained' kids that make words into pictures. Look very closely at her ability to hear and recognize the sounds of each letter, to make sure she is able to start doing phonics. Alpha-phonics and handwriting without tears provide some basic steps before phonics. Don't worry about her getting behind, she is and will always be miles ahead in other areas. Play to her talents.
T.

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