I was wondering if anyone knows a good way to teach my child to read. He is 4 1/2 and is watching the Leap Frog "Talking Words Factory and Letter Factory." He knows all the letters and the sounds they make and but how do I make him understand how to put all the letters together to make words?
Hi
All kids learn differently so try to let him spell out things that he do around the house and spell out the fruits and food that he eat make it a game and also take him to the library and let him pick out books that he like and let him read them to you, see if that will help.
When you go to the store let him read the name of can food, where every you go just ask him to tell you what things are and read it to you
The most important thing you can do is read to him everyday. Read books he is interested in. Read books at all reading levels. When you read to him, sometimes run your finger under the words, to point out the words you are reading to him. This is best in books with just a few words on a page (a few sentences with well-spaced words). Casually ask him a word sometimes. But don't emphasisize this too much. The main thing is for him to enjoy the book and maintain an interest in books. The reading will come. -- Can he write his name (not all capital letters)? Can he write Mom, Dad, other names of people important to him? Words with emotional attachment are easeir for children to learn (love, pizza, zoo, dog, cat. Once he knows a word, have him run his finger slowly under the word and talk about how the letters he sees match the sounds he says. -- Use magnetic letters on your refrigerator to play a game of making words. Start with his name. -- Whisper read a simple book with him. You read the page (sentence) quietly into his ear as you point to the words, then he reads it and points to the words. -- Can he point accurately, word by word, to a rhyme or short sentence he knows, matching his voice to the print? --- Play word games with him. He needs to be able to rhyme orally. And pick out ryming words from poems and rhymes he hears. Also, orally play games where he names things that start with the same letter (like things that start with B). -- Provide many experiences for him so that he develops concepts and a rich language. These are necessary for him to understand what he reads, which is the ultimate goal.
Read, read, read to your son, and then read some more. Not only will it help him, he will develop a love of reading, and it's a wonderful, cozy time together.
Hi Carri,
I have two boys and have owned my own tutoring business for the last 10 years. Here are some tips you might find useful:
-have your son manipulate the sounds to creat words, even if they're nonsense words. For example, break apart words into their individual sounds (cat is 'c' 'a' 't'), and have your son look for those individual sounds, and physically put the letter tiles into the right order AND do this in reverse where he puts sounds together to form words
-start introducing him to sight words. These are words you can't decode, but have to know (his, and, because)
I hope this information helps! Master sounds and being able to manipulate them quickly is one of basic foundations of reading. Feel free to visit my website (www.ectutoring.com) for information on reading. There's a great article titled "Why Reading is Not a Natural Process" that might be of use to you.
Good luck!
A. Dolin, M.Ed
www.anndolin.com
just sounding out words and being super encouraging all of the time...even pats on the back..and hi fives!
I think that it is fun when you let them sound out the words..they can try out different sounds..and eventually they start to "get it!" Don't worry if they don't make that "connection" right away...they will get it!!
Good luck!
J. K.
There is another show called "Word World" that my 5 year old really loves. My 10 year old was really successful with the junior phonics game.
Best wishes and it'll happen naturally if you read to him regularly and show him by example! Best wishes!
Hi C.,
I have used hooked on phonics to teach my three children to read and it is great! I actually began using hooked on phonics in the preschool center where I worked as the program manager. My children all read above grade level and love reading. I also through teaching other preschoolers have seen the wonderful results. It's definelty a great investment. The package comes complete with parent instructions/tips.
Good luck!
Check out www.starfall.com - it is a great website for learning to read. My 4.5 year old LOVES it and even my 2.5 year old likes it. My daughter can read some words by sight and is starting to sound out words that she sees. My 2.5 year old is starting to tell me what sounds the letters make (he can already name all the letters). I don't know if that website is what made it "click" for her or not, but it is worth a look.
