How to Help Your Child Learn to Read

Even as an educator myself, I did not know where to start to teach my own children to read until I took a position as Reading Interventionist for my local school district. There are activities you can do from birth onward that will give your child the edge he or she needs to be a successful reader. I would like to emphasize that these things should be done even before teaching kids the traditional letters of the alphabet. These concepts are based on the latest reading research and are based on how the brain acquires the skills for reading.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Time
• Initiative
• Books

1. Begin reading to your baby and playing with books as early as 6 months of age. Babies can learn intonation (how one's voice changes tone), precepts of reading (we turn pages from right to left, we read words from left to right, we begin at the top of the paragraph, etc.), and that print has meaning.
2. RHYME, RHYME, RHYME!
   Begin as soon as possible singing songs and saying rhymes with your child. I cannot overemphasize the importance of rhyming and alliteration for pre-readers. That means singing songs with their name and making a rhyme that goes with it....."I love you, yes I do, I love my Baby Matthew". Read books with rhyming words in it. Also, do alliterations- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers). Singing and saying old nursery rhymes is another idea. Silly, I know, but effective! Kids who can discriminate rhyming words will find reading to come much easier!!!
3. Split syllables. Help kids to blend words together. You say "br-ush" and have them say the word, "brush". Make it a game- I say the word in 2-3 syllables. You guess the word!! Kids love this. Eventually, the child will need to discriminate each sound in the word. /g/ /a/ /m/= game...../c/ /a/ /t/= cat and also be able to be given a word and split it into syllables.
4. Work on letters and letter sounds associated to text that the child is familiar with. So, you've read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" 5 TRILLION times...read it, again. Point out letters and talk about what sound it makes in the book. Repetive reading is excellent for pre- and emerging readers.

Tips & Warnings

• Dr. Jean CD's are great to sing with kids. She does rhyming songs and kids love her!!!! Her CD's can be found on Amazon.com
• Don't rely on others to teach your child to read. Take full responsibility of your child's learing opportunities.
• Get a cheap set of magnetic alphabet letters and let your child play with them and make words....made up words are fine. Try to encourage any play with letters and words.
• If you feel your child has special needs, do not hesitate to talk to a professional.
• Resources:
• Phonemic Awareness "Playing with Sounds to Strengthen Beginning Reading Skills" by Jo Fitzpatrick from Creative Teaching Press