Learning to read can be a long process, so it's never too early to prepare a child. Although learning to read is certainly a fundamental step, it is important that the learning process is fun and engaging for the child. Reading should be something the child comes to love and can use to broaden their knowledge through books. If you can remain patient and make the learning process a fun way to spend time together, you will offer your child the best opportunity to learn to read and love books.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Creating a Good Reading Environment
Step 1. Read to the child
Make reading part of your daily routine. It is never too early to start reading to a child. Reading to young children has been shown to promote early brain development and improve language, reading and writing learning, and interpersonal skills.
Step 2. Read expressively
Being an engaging storyteller will help keep the child interested. Even if it is too small to understand the story, your voice is able to express happiness, sadness, anger and many other emotions that will give the child a context in which to place the figures.
Step 3. Follow all the words you read with your finger
Make sure the child sees your finger point to each word as you read it aloud. Even if he doesn't seem to understand the words, he will begin to realize that the curvy lines he sees on the page are connected to what is being said.
You don't have to strictly follow the story. You can take breaks to describe the illustrations extensively, or characterize the characters by making different voices. This will also help stimulate his imagination
Step 4. Ask the child questions about the story
Take breaks while reading to involve him in the story by asking him simple questions. If there is a dog in the story, for example, you could ask the child what color it is. This will help the child process the story better and lead to better written comprehension skills.
Step 5. Give the child some books
When you start teaching your child to read, provide him with lots of books to explore; it will help spark interest in reading.
- Hardback or cloth books are great for children under 3. These books are stronger than paper books with a soft or hard cover, and thicker pages are easier to turn.
- When the child is a little older, focus on rhyming books, such as those by Dr. Seuss, or books with songs in them.
- Enroll the child in a library. Bring it regularly to the local library and let it choose books from the children's section. A good way to establish a structured routine is to do it once a week, always on the same day (every Friday after school, for example). It doesn't matter if the child is big for that book or if he has already read it. When he is a little older, allow him to register the loan, but always under your supervision.
Step 6. Set a good example by reading books
If your child notices that you read a book with pleasure, they will be much more likely to develop an interest in reading. Try to read next to the child every day for about 20 minutes. If he is intrigued by what you are doing, you can talk to him about the book you are reading or take the opportunity to ask him if he wants to choose a book to read.
Part 2 of 3: Teaching Basic Skills
Step 1. Teach the child the alphabet
To begin reading, the child will need a solid understanding of the alphabet. In addition to being able to recite the alphabet, he should develop a good understanding of the written form and pronunciation of each letter.
- Start with a book for learning the alphabet.
- Make it fun by playing games. You can buy magnetic letters to attach to the fridge or cut out letter shapes and decorate each one with items starting with that letter. For example, cut out a letter S and have the child decorate it with sun or star stickers.
Step 2. Develop your phonological awareness
This is the process of associating written letters with corresponding sounds. Children will have to learn the 30 sounds created by the 21 letters of the alphabet. Using a list of phonemes, you can help the child learn to relate sounds to letters.
- Teach the child how to pronounce each phoneme. Focus on one letter at a time and teach the child how to pronounce it correctly. Say the name of the letter and what its sound is. For example: "the letter A sounds ah". Then give examples of words that begin with that sound, such as "bee" or "friend".
- There are some great apps with fun games to help develop phonological awareness. Many of these apps, such as "ABC Talking Alphabet", are also free to download.
Step 3. Teach the child to read the words by spelling out each letter
Once the child is able to identify the first phoneme of very short words, teach him to add the rest. Break the word down into individual letters and say each sound, then ask the child what word it is. This will help him understand how all the individual letter sounds form a word together. Have him practice reading words in the same way.
- Make a sentence of two or three short words, one or two syllables. Have the child practice reading the sentence by spelling out the letters of each word. Try working with a few pages from Eric Hill's "Spotty" series. There are many sentences made up of very short words.
- When you have learned to spell monosyllabic and bisyllabic words, add another syllable. Test it with longer and longer words.
Step 4. Teach the child a list of common words
There are short and very common words that the child will see often; some, however, are not easy to learn to read. The best way for a child to learn these words is to see them repeatedly in the context of a sentence and along with the object they represent.
- There are many children's books devoted to first words and vocabulary expansion. It is usually indicated on the cover ("first words", "learning words", "letters and words" or similar).
- You can use didactic cards with common words written on them. Place them alongside the objects they represent. Eventually the child will begin by himself to associate the written word with the object.
- Use the cards to teach the child the vocabulary. Show him the card; pronounce the word, spell it and use it in a sentence; then invite him to do the same. Continue until the child can recognize all the cards.
- Help the child learn with games such as bingo. Fill in the spaces of the bingo card with common words, then call out a word. The child must locate it on his or her folder and mark it.
- Highlight rhyming words. Make sure the child pays attention to words that rhyme with each other, such as dog - bread. Seeing the written words and hearing the similarity of the sounds, he will more easily recognize certain groups of letters and their corresponding sound.
Part 3 of 3: Practice Reading
Step 1. Make sure the reading area is welcoming, quiet, and free of distractions
Turn off the TV and any other electronic devices that may cause the child to lose focus. Put away any toys your child may be too tempted to play with.
Step 2. Start by reading the book aloud
Choose a paragraph or page from the book and start reading aloud. This way you will set up the reading activity as something enjoyable to do together. You will also give a good example of fluent reading, so that the child can hear how the story should be read.
Step 3. Ask him to read for you
While reading, the child will stop at the words he does not know.
- When the child stops, immediately tell him what the word is and let him continue. Underline or circle with a pencil the words that he was unable to read.
- Then go back and help him correctly read the words he was struggling with.
Step 4. Read the same stories over and over
With practice, the child will be able to read more words correctly each time. By repeatedly coming back to the same words, he will eventually be able to read the story more smoothly. The words will be easier to decode and the child will need to stop and spell them less often.
Advice
- Children need to be clear about the words they read and understand their meaning. The teacher or parent should begin by teaching the child phonics and the basics.
- Normally, children do not start reading before the age of 5 or 6. While starting early is fine, it's important not to put too much pressure on the baby.