Help I don't know how to teach 4 yr old to read (homeschool)?

Question

My 4 yr old knows the letters sounds&names and can read some 3 letters words (I think he memorized them) ,he can spell " S-a-m but when I ask him to read the word(Sam) he doesn't know or he says s-a-t or c-a-t instead of s-a-m . Is there a method to teach him ?I've tried "Teach your child how to read" (too complicated )Bob books (this works but the pictures seem to distract him and he memorize the words more than learning how to read ) ,Hooked on phonics and Alpha-phonics.Last two seem to work best but still I don't know how to make him understand to blend sounds together to make a word like Sam , not just S-a-m . Is he still too young ? He will be 4 next month but I heard of many 3 and 4 yr old starting to read and I wonder if we are behind. As a matter of fact, I have learned how to read in my country (Europe) at 6 or 7 but here seems t o be a lot of pressure at a much younger age,yet when kids are older so many have problems reading&spelling .

Any advice appreciated

Answer 1

The professionals are at school.   Don't you remember how they taught you to read???  I learned with d**k and Jane and  Spot.   We had word board and word sticks to make words.

Answer 2

Some just aren't ready to read at 4 and there is no getting around it.  By the time they are 11 you can't tell the difference between a child who read at 4 and one who read at 7.  There is much pressure to read early, and that causes a lot of future grammar, spelling and editing problems.  

A great book to read to help relax is Dr. Raymond Moore's "Better Late than Early."  

Is there something else your child is interested in?  Maybe instead of focusing on reading, you can focus on another area of development until he is ready to read.  My son actually loved Legos and computers and learned to read because he wanted to do more with them -play certain games which required reading, read the Lego magazine, etc.

Just keeping reading to him for enjoyment and don't push.  He'll pick it up when he's ready.  In the meantime, you get some great lap time!

Answer 3

Like somebody else said, he just may not be ready to read yet. He is only four so if he was in public school he wouldn't even be in kindergarten yet. He still has time before you should worry about him being able to read. I think in the beginning alot of children learn by memorizing and then eventually they begin to put together the similarities in the sounds of letters.

Just continue to read books with him on a regular basis and run your finger with the words. Until he is ready to start reading on his own this will help. You sound like your doing a great job!

For Jean:

I just wanted to say that I was homeschooled until early in 4th grade. So obviously I already knew how to read, write, prounce etc before I began going to public school. So I and many other homeschooled children are living proof that there is nothing wrong with homeschooling. If you don't believe in homeschool then that is fine and that is your opinion, but please don't bash on other people because of their beliefs. That's just plain rude and wrong and it is sad when a 16-year-old knows better then an adult.

Answer 4

The great thing about home school is that you can have fun teaching your child.  Don't force the learning.  It sounds like you are doing the right things, so just relax.

I've heard the comparison that some children walk early and some late, but they are all walking the same by the time they are 6 years old. (Unless there are developmental problems, of course.)

It is the same thing with reading.

I learned to read at 6 in public school.  I read to my 4 year old brother at home. He learned to read at 4.  We both read about the same now.

By the way Jean, I was not a trained professional when I 'taught' my brother to read.

Answer 5

Ok, well first I would say don't rush it.  Let him move at his pace.  There is a big push, and you are right that they expect so much so early and then lose ground in the next few years.  This is one reason we chose to homeschool.  My son was reading before K but had normal developmental delays in handwriting.  We let him go at his pace even allowing him to do all school work by typing last year (2nd grade) and recently saw that he had naturally flipped from L to R hand and had a huge jump in ability.  We are still overcoming HIS idea that he is not good at it though, and that is a huge obstacle.  So, my advice is let him pace your learning.  Keep it loose and fun.

Read books that have a lot of rhyming words to them.  Then instead of starting with Sam, start with 2 letter combinations.  AM, AT, AR etc.  Also, even though it is his name I would start with AT first because it has more small words that use it.  Once he grasps the idea you would be amazed how quickly he will get the other combinations.  

If you start with A - T says AT, have a 3 X 5 index card with AT on it when you talk about it say "What letter is this?" (point to A and wait until he responds) "and what does A say?" (wait for a response)  Then point to T "What letter is this?" (wait until he responds) "and what does T say?" (wait for a response)  "Great so AT is AAAATTTTT" (pointing to each letter as you sound it out.) and talk to him about it a few times during the day, add in verbally the idea that AT is in words like rat, bat, fat, mat, sat, cat, hat.   At this time do not show him these word on paper.  You want to let him hear the idea and absorb it.  Read a book that has these ideas in it.  Hooked on phonics should have one, it did in my set.  If not look to http://www.readinga-z.com/index.php for downloadable books.  It is a membership site with a yearly membership, but for me it was very valuable in finding early reader books and seeing where my son was compared to public school expectations.  You can maybe share it with another homeschool mom.

Then have card with all the AT words written out.  Make a flip book. Have some 3 X 5 index cards, cut 3 or 4 into thirds.  Take a full size uncut card and lay one of the cut cards on the right side.  Right at the edge of the cut card, on the full card write AT.  On the smaller cards write the letters C, B, H, F, M, S and R close to the left edge.   Use 2 rings and a hole punch to make a book he can flip through.

The next day show him your 3 X 5 card with AT and talk about it again.  "Ok, yesterday we talked about the idea that A - T says AT.  Lets look at that again.  What letter is this?" (point to A and wait until he responds) "and what does A say?" (wait for a response)  Then point to T "What letter is this?" (wait until he responds) "and what does T say?" (wait for a response)  "Great so AT is AAAATTTTT" (pointing to each letter as you sound it out.)  Can you remember any of the words we talked about yesterday that had AT in them? (if none prompt him, if any praise big)  "great job"  Today you are going to read a book with the AT sound in it.  Bring out the flip book.  Have it turned to the back large page.  Ask him to read "AT"  if he struggles have him sound it out.  Then turn the first flip, C.  Ask him to sound this out.  If you have to go back to the What letter is this idea from above.  If he struggles sound it out with him, but instead of doing each letter, do a C-AT, so that you are emphasizing the blend.  Flip through the book until you see him losing interest.  Praise big every effort.  Have him show his progress off to Dad or Nana and be sure they know to praise big.  He will get there.

The biggest thing is don't push him.  A few minutes in the morning and a few in the afternoon is fine.  Most learning at this age should be play oriented.  For example when my son was this age we turned off the sesame street CD and played talking games.  C says C like Cat and car.  Can you think of any other C (sound not letter) words?  Do different letters, praising big.  If there is some error with C and K don't correct, as long as it is phonically correct that is great.  This helps with the idea that all those letters he knows are not just foam figures or marks on a page but something that makes up words.  That they have a verbal value.  It is a lot like when your child can count to 10.  They know the verbal idea of counting, but may not recognize the written number, or may not understand that one relates to a singular object.  Most often kids will count to 10 no matter how many there are, so you have to work to have them understand what 3 physically means.  There are easy things around the house you can do for all of these developmental steps.  

Once you get him understanding letters and their sounds are used to make words through the game and understand the ideas from the simple blends, I would recommend going back to HOP.  It worked really well for us from that point, and my son is an amazing reader.

Hope this helps.  Feel free to email if there is anything else.  Good luck

Answer 6

Have him write it and say it as he writes it :)

S-A-M S-A-M- Sam  Sam what's that say?

Sam :)

Answer 7

I'm trying a new thing.  It's called Spell to Read and Write.  It integrates spelling, reading and writing all from the beginning.  It's pricey to begin with, but  I believe it's worth it.  I used "Teach you child to read in 100 easy lesson" when we first started.  If I would have know about this approach back then, I would have tried it and I believe avoided a lot of trials and heartache.  You should look into it.

Answer 8

He may be a kinesthetic learner.  Try this method my HS curriculum, K12, uses for teaching Phonics...it's called "finger stretching".

* Have the child make a fist

* Have him stick up his thumb for the first sound, /s/, as he makes the sound

* Have him stick up his index finger for the second sound, /a/, as he makes the sound

* Have him stick up his middle finger for the third sound, /m/, as he makes the sound

* Have him say the sounds together, /s/ /a/ /m/ as he brings his hand into a fist and pulls it toward him

* Do this for every sound (or blend, digraph, trigraph) as you sound out words

Hope this helps!

Answer 9

I think you should relax and wait awhile.  Play games with him and read out-loud to him.  If you feel you must do something to prepare him to read when he is older then do some phonemic awareness games with him,  for example; identifying rhyming words, words with the same first, middle, or ending sounds, and even you saying a word divided into its individual sounds as if you are sounding it out letter by letter (except you won't actually be using written letters, just saying the sounds) get faster and faster and see if he can guess the word, say word and clap out how many syllables it has.  Don't even FORCE these games on him though, four is rather early to learn to read.

When he is ready you will want to teach him phonics, but don't rely totally on phonics, some words do need to be memorized, and even words that are sounded out at first should be repeated often enough that eventually the child knows them by sight.

For now though, the best thing to do is read to him and not try to teach him to read until he is at least 5.  Some children learn earlier mostly on their own, and that's fine, but most kids are not ready until 5 or 6.  Children who are pressured early usually just grow to hate reading, and ultimately that attitude will put them behind since they won't be inclined to do any extra practice on something they hate.

Answer 10

I learned to read very early too (Europe), but over the years as a tutor, not just as a home schooling mom I have learned that early reading is not always good for a child; especially boys.

He is only four, and his little brain may not understand all these concepts yet, keep reading aloud to him, enjoy books together, so he will not become frustrated, and start to dislike reading.

Most who were "taught" to read at an early age often have a lot of difficulty later;  because more often than not they may have felt that they were failing at something (reading) they were not even ready for.

Many boys are not ready until age 7 or 8, sometimes even later.

Once they are ready they catch up quick, and surpass their peers.

First take a breath, it's okay if he is starting later, once he is ready he will catch up in no time.

A good book to teach reading in about 15 to 20 minutes a day is called Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons.

(SRA)  cost: $15.00 to $20.00.

I am not sure if this is the same one you have tried before, but it takes about two weeks for the parent to prepare themselves on how to use the book/lessons; read the manual carefully, the actual lessons are a snap.

A good parent resource on early childhood education, and one I highly recommend is Better Late Than Early by Dr, Raymond Moore & Dorothy Moore.

Answer 11

It sounds like your son is off to a good start if he already knows his letter sounds.  Just keep doing what you're doing and one day it will just click.  My oldest child was very good at figuring out how words were spelled by listening to letter sounds.  It took her 4-6 months longer to do the process in reverse and put the sounds together to read the word.  One day, things began to click for her and she started to read.

If you like the Bob books but the pictures are distracting, you might try the old McGuffey readers.  There are some (beautiful) black and white illustrations but they don't distract from the words.  My daughter was easily distracted by pictures in many early readers and would just try to guess the words based on the pictures on the page.  When we started using the McGuffey Eclectic Primer, she really focused on the words instead.

By the way, I taught my daughter to read not a professional teacher.  She was 5 when she began reading.  She is now 7 and can read at a 3rd to 4th grade level.  I am teaching my son to read.  Millions of parents have successfully taught their children to read.  There are different approaches which can be used but you don't need a degree in education to teach your children.

Answer 12

Part of reading is memorization. Neither you nor I are consciously sounding out each word as we read through each others' question and answer, right? At some point we all learn to recognize that certain patterns of letters form certain words - once you memorize that pattern you know and can 'read' the word. Also, different methods work for different children - some children do better learning their alphabet phonetically and sounding out words while others do better learning the sounds then progressing to sight words (a whole-language approach). Try different things with your son and see which method works best for him

Additionally, I think you might have answered the first part of your question with the second part. You mention that your child is not yet 4 and that you learned to read when you were 6 or 7. While there does seem to be some pressure to get children reading earlier and earlier, each child will naturally learn at their own place. Forcing a child to 'learn' something earlier then they're ready or able to will usually only create frustration and dislike of the subject. Ignore the critics and don't stress about it, work a little with him every couple of days - you'll see when he's ready. Make it simple and fun and you may create a later reader, but you'll also create a life-long one!

Answer 13

I am 100% against Homeschooling.  And this is one reason.  Trained teachers know how to teach a child to not only read, but to pronounce words, and to interact with other children doing the same thing.  Sorry you don't think your child is worth a good solid public school education.

But the answer is this.  Make the child sound, out loud, the letters.  First S, then A and then M, and then SA and then AM and then SAM

tell the child, SAY IT OUT LOUD.  Before you say each letter or group of letters.  

Is your child learning disabled?  If not, there is no reason he shouldn't be able to say these simple letter sounds outloud.

Answer 14

you read it to him, it is all recognition anyhow,  put your under each word slowly, and pronounce it correct, have him re-read each page until he has it right,

Answer 15

I would not be concerned about a 4 yr old who can't read. Just keep reading to him and ask questions relevant to what you are reading such as colors, shapes, letters and numbers. The child will in no time be reading on his own. Boys will tend to be a little slower than girls at reading. I would not be overly concerned until the child is 6 or 7. Do NOT compare your child to others of the same age, each child is different. In a few years your child will be preforming as well as the child who read at 3 yrs old.

IRT Jean, I would worry about high school grads who can't read before I paid any attention to how well homeschoolers do.

Answer 16

At his age he has time to learn to read. He seems to being doing a great job already. Read to him, that helps wonders. We also have a Magna Doodle that we draw letters and words on and have my DD sound them out. We also have a few packs of magnet letters and a cookie sheet. We spell words out on it too. She really likes that.

Answer 17

Maybe he just isn't ready yet.  Back off teaching him to read for awhile, try again later.

Answer 18

Don't panic i have 3 little sisters and when they were younger they all learned how to read at about 5 or 6 and i think i did as well. It is very normal for him to be saying sat and cat instead of reading his name. Most young children around 4 years don't recognize there name and common words like Mom and Dad until there a little bit older. But if you are really really worried and want him to be reading at his age you can't rush the way he learns. Some children are just a little bit slower and that is OKAY. If its that big of a deal then go to a public school near you and have a meeting with one of the teachers. I hope i was some help to you!!!

=]

Answer 19

Try Reading Reflex. It would be suitable for a 4yo.

Answer 20

My daughter is a few months shy of turning five.  She's been asking to learn to read for about a year.  In the spring we started on "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" and made it through about the first 25 lessons, but I didn't feel that she was really getting it.  She was having a problem with blending the sounds.

We just started all over again on Monday, and she was bored with "Teach your child".   And she just didn't seem to like it.  So I've kind of devised my own thing.

I took a bunch of 3 x 5 index cards and using a ruler divided them into three sections (the first two the width of the ruler and the third one longer).  I wrote every lower case letter of the alphabet on the small ones, consonants in red and vowels in green.  On the longer pieces of card I wrote "at", "am", and the last two letters of other words used in the first eight  Bob books.

First, we set out the "at" card and then went through the alphabet putting each letter in front of "at" and sounded it out to see if it made a word.  Then we opened the first Bob book, "Mat" and started sounding out the words.  I did have to cover the pictures or she would try to guess rather than read the words.  After two days, she got better and more confident about sounding out the words.  (I only had her read Mat and sat, and read the other words myself.)  Tomorrow, we're going to do the same with the "am" card and after a few days try the "on" card.  I'm hoping that within a week she'll be able to read the first book on her own.  Then we'll move to the next one.

I've also been trying to vary it up by playing oral rhyming games, looking at groups of four words and talking about which one doesn't belong (distinguishing beginning, ending, and middle sounds), and discussing syllables.

Now keep in mind, we started reading lessons because she expressed an interest in reading.  And the first few days she would get kind of whiny and not pay attention.  Some of this was because she was so excited by starting up school time again that she skipped breakfast.  She also has a tendency to want to give up on anything that doesn't come easy.  I told her, though, that if this was something she really wanted she would have to pay attention, follow directions, and apply herself.  If she didn't, we would wait until she was ready to do so.

If your son is expressing an interest in reading lessons, I see nothing wrong with trying it.  Just give it time and look for any signs of progress even if he isn't completely getting it.  Don't feel pressured to teach him if he's not ready.  He's not even four yet.  That is still very young.  You are not behind.  If he already knows all of his letter sounds, he is actually ahead of many kids his age.  My daughter still has problems with some of the letter sounds.

Just try to keep it fun and don't push him too hard.  Keep reading fun and continue to read to him.

Good luck!

Answer 21

Omg...he's only three. Let it go! Funny how you *say* he's four, but then state that he'll be four in a month. And Europe is not a country...that makes me suspicious. Older kids have a problem reading when they are pushed into it way too early. When they are allowed to discover it at their own rate, there is nothing to discourage.

You have nothing to prove by teaching him to read early, and all you will do is create a dislike of reading. The best way to teach a person to read is by filling their life with the written and verbal word. Read to him as much as he likes. Point out store and street signs, talk through the grocery store, pointing out boxes and bags and what they say. Let him help cook, and point out words in the recipe. Sing a lot. Read to yourself. Show him that reading is worthy. You don't even need a curriculum.

I have five kids who have learned to read on their own, only through me reading with them and to them and around them. Have faith in the human ability to learn, in a rich environment. Provide that environment, and watch him soar.