How to teach a four year old to read.?

Question

i have a little cousin that is four and i need to teach her how to read can you list some stuff at the bottom.

Answer 1

if you get any let me know.

Answer 2

I would recommend the Hooked on Phonics program.  I used this program with my 4 year old daughter and it worked well.  She is reading simple books, and sounding out 3 and 4 letter words.  Hope this helps.

Answer 3

If you have a tv with closed captioning, figure out how to turn it on.  We did this with some Sesame Street videos when my son was little and he picked up the alphabet and a number of words very quickly.

Sesame Street "Do the Alphabet" is engaging and your cousin will probably dance to it.

Answer 4

start by teaching her the alphabet, quiz her every now and then to make sure she knows them and the difference between letters like b, d, m, and w, then get those picture books and show her how to sound out words(best to go to a public library) when she learns one book keep tryings new books it gets her mind and imagination going. It's probably cheaper than buying a program, plus it gives you more time to bond with your cousin.

Answer 5

I've had great success with the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Sigmund Engelmann (sp?).  It's "dry" but it contains everything a parent would need to teach the child.  It takes the approach of teaching letters that are most "popular" so that right away the child is reading words.  It includes many literacy components that a typical parent/caregiver is unaware effects the child's ability to learn to read.  It's under $20 on Amazon.com...great reviews by the way...check them out.  Barnes and Noble carries it as well.  I added some extra activities to make it more "fun".  :-)  Good luck.

Answer 6

I have to wonder...why do you "need" to teach her how to read? How much reading do you or her parents do with her? How much exposure does she have to quality literature? What does she already know? Is she going to be home schooled or are you looking to give her a head start?

I would love to give you some suggestions but I need more information to help you.

Answer 7

The reading system that is used in the UK in many school is  called Jolly Phonics.

Can you find out what program your cousins school uses and use that, then he/she won't get confused. The Jolly Phonic books can be bought at the Early Learning Centre and probably W H Smiths too, or possibly they are available at the library.

Jolly Phonics works by learning the sound of each letter, starting with 's' for snake and there is an action for each letter so that the child uses more than one sense when learning.

The first 6 letters are s,a,t,,p,i,n, and when the child can recognise these you can write them on cards and make words like: pat, sat, tap, nap, tin, pin, nip, sit etc. You say each sound in a long drawn out sort of way, joining them together and hope that the child can hear the word.

It's best to make a game of learning to read, and, most importantly don't use capital letters or the alphabet.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Young children learn best through play, and using their senses.  You need to be very careful to make it fun for the child and use materials such as toys, games, art materials, stories, songs, etc. In addition to your creativity you can purchase card games such as GO FISH , and memory games such as match the word to the picture. Jr. Scrabble or bingo games are other examples.  When  the child sees pictures together with the written word that  is teaching  them "to read." You can find age and developmentally appropriate learning materials  at educational book stores and toy stores. I suggest teaching one letter at a time NOT IN alphabetical order. You can find activity materials for each letter of the alphabet as mentioned above.When teaching a letter, the SOUND of the letter needs to be emphasized as well as to identify the letter. After the child knows several consonants you add a vowel. At that point the child can start to read simple words. As you progress other sounds are taught such as CH  TH, and Sh. OO, EE,  blends such as bl, br, etc.It's important to keep the subject matter relevant to his/ her world. Giving initial letter SOUNDS to objects the child is familiar with  helps him understand. For example, you can play games with objects all having the same initial sound. The child can draw pictures of objects beginning with that particular letter. Be sure to write the word under the picture. You can play games such as looking for things in the room that begin with a certain letter. Keep in mind that learning to read is a process, and each child learns at an individual pace. You can help him/ her be aware of the English language and that words are all around - such as on food packaging, signs, etc.

Have fun together and GOOD LUCK !

Answer 9

Get Hooked on Phonics, you can buy a used set on ebay of off craigs list for a reasonable price, it is a terrific program and works well.