Best Easy Techniques to Teach Your Child to Read in 2021
Before your child reaches the age of 10, one of the most important things they will accomplish is learning how to read.
In fact, children begin acquiring the skills they need to master reading from birth. An infant as young as 6 months old can already distinguish between the sound of their mother tongue and a foreign language. And by the age of 2 they have mastered enough word sounds in their native language to produce over 50 words.
Singing the alphabet song and reciting nursery rhymes is the next step as fine motor skills advance. And the ability to write, draw, and copy shapes follow. Which eventually lead to forming letters.
As a parent, you can encourage these early skills in your child by pointing out letters in daily life. Visiting your local library and bookstore to foster an interest in books. And asking them about their day to assist with the development of narrative skills.
As an elementary school teacher, everything from vocabulary growth to high performance across all subjects, is linked to a child’s reading ability.
When teaching children to read, there are 3 main techniques I have used how to teach a child to read step by step with amazing results.
Those 3 techniques are the Phonics Method, the Whole-Word Approach, and the Language Experience Method, which will be explained in detail below.
1.) The Phonics Method for Learning to Read
The phonics method is one of the most popular and commonly used methods for teaching reading to children. As it teaches children to pair sounds with the letters, and blend them together to pronounce the word.
This method is focused on helping a child learn how to break down words into sounds. Translate those sounds into letters. And combining them to form words, leading to the foundation of their reading ability.
Using this method over time will train your child the cognitive process to automatically translate between letters and sounds. Allowing the child to become more fluent and read with ease.
2.) The Whole-Word Approach to Learn to Read
This method teaches children to read by sight and relies on memorization and repeated exposure to the written form a word pair with an image and audio.
How the whole-word approach differs from the phonics method. Is that they learn to say the word by recognizing its’ written form as opposed to sounding it out.
Putting words into context and providing images can help. And eventually familiar words can be presented on their own. Then in short sentences, and eventually longer sentences.
When using these steps to teaching a child to read. Children begin reading via this method, as an evolving process. That will have them reading the majority of the vocabulary they encounter. And only sounding out words that are unfamiliar to them.
3.) The Language Experience for Learning Reading
The language experience method of teaching children to read is rooted in personalization. Where the words being taught are different for every child.
The idea of these steps to teaching a child to read, is children will learn words that they are already familiar with. To build confidence and eagerness towards reading. This ensures they focused when learning to read and don’t get frustrated or put off.
As a teacher, I have used these steps to teaching a child to read myself. And to create unique stories for each student using their preferred list of words. While they draw pictures to correspond with the story, therefore creating their own storybook.
As a parent, don’t be afraid to try this technique at home to further strengthen your child’s reading comprehension and build their confidence in reading!
When it comes to teaching your child how to read, it is important to remember that no two children will learn the same way, so remaining flexible in your approach is key to achieving success.
Motivation and patience are also key to avoid introducing any negative associations with school and learning.
The more children read with their parents, teacher, and caregivers, the more books become a favorite and exciting pastime and activity.
Help with Customized Steps to Teaching a Child to Read Quickly
Instead of solely using one of these techniques, it can sometimes be beneficial to combine aspects from each. To create your own customized technique for your child.
Teaching children to read is not a simple task. And if after reading these steps you’re left feeling a little overwhelmed and need some help with the steps to teaching your child to read, no need to worry, I have a solution for that too!
Click the link below to see how Sarah Shepard, a fellow teacher, has simplified these steps and as a result taught over 35,000 children how to read with her program Reading Head Start!
