Advice on teaching my 4 year old to start reading?

Question

Please help, I really don't know where to begin.

Answer 1

Here, I'm wrote to you before  and I'm now rsponding on my other e-mail address.  you can see the responses I got when I asked a similar question, only as a preschool teacher of a classful of 4 yr olds.

In your case, get the Sally Shaywitz book.  It's chockful of advice and very orderly.  By the way, you snagged a lot of helpful advice from these other respondents.  They are suggesting things I also did with my youngest, John.

Good luck.  Happy teaching.  Don't forget to make it fun!!  And sorry people are so casual and suggesting you wait until kindergarten.  Not necessary to wait..  You can and should teach your 4 year old to read.  There are kids at 2 reading and chortling over a good book already, so you are not doing this a minute too soon!

Answer 2

Begin by reading to your child daily. When you read finger track (run your fingers under the words). You can start by teaching the alphabet to your child and sounds they make. Also simple beginning readers are a good start. The Bob books are a great first reader and you can purchase these at Target, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. You can go to www.readingatoz.com click on view samples and find easy readers to print off (FREE) too. Get your child a Leap Frog system too.

Answer 3

You can teach a child between the ages of 2 and 5 (yeah, you saw that right, age 2) to read.   I first found out about this when the well-respected gifted 7th grade English teacher at my daughter's school told me she taught her 18 month old to read.

Then on Yahoo Answers, a mom mentioned it in response to my question of whether 4 yr olds can learn to read, and I will copy it to you below:

Forget the research. I have taught several little ones to read, two of my own at ages 18 mos. and 2. I got my inspiration almost 30 years ago from a book called, I think, "You Can Teach Your Baby to Read" But it may just be, "Teach Your Baby to Read." The author, I think, was Glenn Dolman. It was a long time ago. And, of course, I wasn't illiterate. But the whole idea was to make it fun. I didn't follow his ideas very strictly, either. I just put words on cards and got my child to read them. In fact, with the first, he "read" his first word at 9 months. His first word was "ball" and he would repeat it for me any time I said, "say ball." So then, I wrote the word on a card, and got him to say ball when I held up the card. Then I went nuts and squealed and said he was a clever baby and so he would say ball every time I held up the card. When he learned to say "Mama" a few days later, I put the word "Mama on a card and held it up. In minutes, he could distinguish between the two, and I would cheer him on. By 18 months, he had a 60-word speaking and reading vocabulary. Everyone thought it was amazing. Then I got pregnant with the next one, was really busy, we moved, etc. I didn't get around to seriously teaching him again until he was 3. And it was easy. Then, the next year, when he was 4 and his sister was 2, I taught her to read. They are 29 and 27 now, and are both avid readers. Get the book. Make it fun. And don't start with boring, words like bat, sat, hat. Do words that grab their attention. I've been a reading teacher for over 30 years. I have discovered something amazing. If you teach a child to read in that window of time before they analyze things, just like language, they learn it easily and figure out the phonics for themselves. I f you wait until the ripe old age of 5 or 6, then they usually need phonics instruction, and methods to make it work. I don't know if this is true in all languages, but in English, where we have over a dozen different spellings for the sound of oo, as in boot, once children are old enough to analyze, and try to figure things out, it is harder to teach, but there is that window of time, when they can put it all together. You could make an amazing difference in these children's lives if you taught them now. I hope you do it.

OK, I I'm back.  Wasn't that a fascinating eye-opener??  I have another e-mail address so I will answer you using that and you can check my questions and see the answers I got.  there is also the Montessori way, or if you buy the book, Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, MD, or check it out of the library Dr. Shaywitz goes thru step by step and TELLS you how to teach your child.  She talks about kindergarteners, but remember, a child can learn to read between the ages of 2 and 5.  Granted at 2 you do it differently, but I'm just saying that there's no difference between 4 and 5 if a child is interested in learning and you MAKE IT FUN AND PLAYFUL.  If it isn't fun, don't try, you will mess it up and the kid will hate to read and then you will have to battle that bad attitude.  You can't yell your kid into reading, you have to lure him with bait.  Also, even if you yell your kid into reading, he won't read for pleasure and so will never get good at it.  You have to tempt a kid into reading and read to him so he LOVES it.  But get Sally Shaywitz's book.  It is EXTREMELY HELPFUL.

Answer 4

To teach letters and sounds I use Tucker Signing Strategies for Reading.  Years ago I use to teach  letters first (ABC), then the sounds and then sound blends...but this is so much easier and it gives a concrete meaning to abstract thing.  How can you touch sound (really)?  TSS is hands on and engages the children in learning...moreso, when or if they come upon a word that they don't know they can break it down by using the signing.  Way cool for independent learning.

My now six year old was reading fluently by 4 years old.  His last standardized testing report noted that he is reading at a second grade level...he just finished Kindergarten.

Answer 5

Start by reading books to him and with him.  

Help him to find the letters of his name in the books.

Answer 6

Sound words out and say it over and over and then read the line and sound it out then do word by word sounding it out and ask her/him to sound it out.

Answer 7

www.starfall.com is a good place to start.

Answer 8

ABC's first then letter recognition then start with sounds that the letters make.  Work from there.

Answer 9

First you need to read some good stories to the child, perhaps at bedtime.  This will get the child interested in books and stories.  Next step get good picture books and read together with the child, your finger running under the words as you read and your child pointing to the picture as you read...that's the start....

Answer 10

teach your child the sounds of alphabet. initially teach him any one sound of all letters. then begin with 3 letter words with short vowel sound ex: cat, dog , pen, bin, pup etc. teach him sound of each letter and ask him to combine the sounds of letters to read as a word. give him more practice. use flash cards to make it more interestng. ask him to identify the begining and ending sound of his name, his friends names, parents name,his favourite things, things around him etc.

Answer 11

To read they need to learn letters.  How good is your child at letters.  With my son we get to intersections and he spells the street signs to me.  I tell him the word.  He spells billboards things in the car just about everything he cant read but he is spellling and connecting that letters make words.

Go over short two and three letter site words is, in, out, dog, cat.

I bought these flip books that spell words they flip three or four letters when the picture matches you have spelled the word (scholastic book clubs) or use flash cards.

I would'nt worry about reading at 4.  Kindergarten and 1st grade is where they really work on it and then just be involved go over every work page that comes home.

and most of all read read read to your child

Answer 12

The most natural way to teach reading is to read yourself. Young children pay close attention to what older children and adults do every moment. If you refuse to eat green peas, chances are the preschool child next to you will refuse to eat then too. If you get excited about choosing books, magazines and newspapers to read your preschool child will too.

Build the love of the written language first. Don't interupt a good story to ask where the letter "a" is or what the child thinks will happen next. Old familiar books that have been reviewed many times are for building those skills. A fresh book is like pizza. It can be eaten cold. But, it's best fresh.

Enjoy a family reading time everyday. Sometimes read the same books together. Other times just be near each other while you enjoy individual books separately.

Answer 13

I had GREAT results teaching a child that was in my care with the book "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons."

He was reading before he went to school and is doing awesome now. You can probably check it out at the library or even get it used at eBay. Its worth every penny if you buy it new.

Answer 14

get doctor shuz sp. the cat in the hat . green eggs and ham . those books . read them to him have him watch as you read.  use your finger to show him the words your reading . but let him look at the pics as well .  after you have read the book to him a few times over a few nights he will remember parts of it . when he remembers the words show him the printed word he remembered tell him great that is the word cat.  and so on this is called sight reading .