Teaching a child to read is generally thought to be a task left to teachers in school. However, learning to read stems from the teachings and activities a parent introduces to their child from a young age. As a parent, you may be thinking you’re too busy to add another task to the daily schedule. That’s why we’re here to help! It can be done a lot easier than imagined through short sessions with an open book. Here are some tips from a sixth-form college in South Kensington on teaching your child to read.
Start young
Children pick things up quicker than you can imagine and this starts at a relatively early age. When teaching them to communicate, focus on teaching them sounds instead of whole words. Connect these sounds to letters and ensure they’ve understood well and can point out these letters with no help from an adult. An example is the word bat. If your child can sound out and identify each letter, not only will they be able to pronounce and read the word out loud, but they will have gained the ability to read the word in a different form such as ‘tab’. The more confident your child becomes doing this, the more their vocabulary will grow.
Use cards to help them pick up bigger words
For clear reasons, being able to see words in front of you is an important way to learn how to read. Create or buy a set of flashcards that have different words on them. Allow your child to take their skill of sounding words out to try and figure out what the word says. If you find they are doing well with short words, eventually you will be able to move on to longer words and sentences. Give your child the time of reading a book to them every night. Sometimes, using materials that are appealing to children takes the stress off of trying to learn something new and you may find your child is motivated to want to learn to read it themselves.
Talk all the time
Your child is like a sponge, they absorb everything. Talking to them will not only help them develop but will help them pick up words they’ve never heard of before. This is one of the easiest ways to build vocabulary efficiently. They will be able to form sentences and incorporate new words as they pick them up. These skills are helpful when it comes to reading too, not to mention how enjoyable the conversations can be!
Keep it light and don’t give up!
There’s no doubt your child will further develop their skills in school. However, the small pieces of help you give them will ensure they build confidence and progress faster which is one of the best gifts a parent can offer their child.
