Tips on teaching my 5 year old to read?

Question

He wants to read very badly but discourages easily and I think he is embrassed that he hasn't picked it up "overnight" like he has with math, sicence and music.

Any ideas of how I can make this fun and a little less stressful on him? Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Everyone gave really good answers here, but if you're child still doesn't seem to get it, try this:

Start with a picture book, and have him create his own story. Encourage him to make it simple, and use only words he is familiar with. Write it down as he says it, or summarize it in simpler words later. Then, the next night, have him read his story that you have copied on paper. He'll know the story, but if he doesn't read exactly what you have written, be sure to ask him to go back and sound out the word.

Don't forget to always, ALWAYS stress phonics around the house, not just while reading. Ask him to give the first letters of the toy he is playing with, or the snack he is eating. Sound out the word slowly as he is naming (or guessing, in the beginning) the letters. This will help him when he reads, because you can say "What letter does this word begin with? What sound does that make?"

Most of all, remember to reward him, and never push your child too far in one session. If he seems distracted, discouraged, or uncooperative, take a break. When he reads a whole page well, be sure to give him an extra few minutes of play or a dessert before bed. And don't forget to boast to the family about his accomplishments!

   On a side note:

If your child is to be enrolled in kindergarten (either currently or next year), don't worry about learning reading so much. In school your child will be studying phonics, letters, and three-four and five letter words that will help him read easier. Don't get too caught up in the subjects he's not that good at; just enjoy him!

Answer 2

flashcards and rewards work wonders.

and just keep supporting him :o)

Answer 3

I didn't learn to read, until I was in 2 grade. I read something like a short Winnie the Pooh book for half a year, until I finished it. With 10 years, I was able to read a Russian 1000 page novel in four days, beside school work. I think, parents are trying to out compete other parents with their kids achievements, instead spending quality time with their kids. Research has no conclusive evidence yet, how early child hood learning translates into success later. A lot is already set up in the genes and some develop early, some late on their own, despite their parents uneducated help.

Answer 4

try not to make a big deal out of it- some kids learn to read late.

but if you want to- try getting one of those HOOKED ON PHONICS teaching aids. we got one for my daughter and though she is going on 7, and has not learned to read much, it has helped her recognize letters. she can read 3 letter words.

the hardest part for her is learning to write as she has learned to use the computer at a very very age- 2yrs!

she can type names but when it comes to writing, she has difficulty with some!

if you email me, i think i can get you the publisher or give you an idea where to get it.

hope that helps!

Answer 5

I played a game with my children called the reading game..we just sorta made it up...

Find the list of high frequency words and start there...use flash cards...my son learned to read by time he was 3 yrs old...Sesame St was a great help too...it teaches the letters and the sounds....GOOD LUCK

Answer 6

Well the best thing you can do is read to him.  As you read have your finger follow the words so he can see the connection between what you are saying and the marks on the page.  You can also practice what sounds the letters make, have him guess what sound words start with.  (book, buh...) Also, start with single words (for instance words on signs, products they recognize) he will gain some confidence with being able to recognize small words.  There are also some great beginning reading books that you can buy, they repeat the same pattern throughout the book.  

Good luck, reading is one of those things that the child has to be ready for, but these things can help!

Answer 7

well teach him the simple words first like: it,or,cat,dog and so on.well make your own simple book. it is cheaper than buying one.you can draw and let him color it.you should tell him when you learn to read i will buy you a big kid book...

Answer 8

read him fairytales and then let him read it for you so that he already knows the story. try those with lots of picture in them !

Answer 9

Best thing to do is READ READ READ !   REad if every chance you get and make it fun!

If you really want to do more play games with letters and words. If you ask me to, I can list several ideas.  

Label things in your house.....bedroom, freezer, sink. mirror.....

let your child SEE you read....sounds corny but it helps!

Get phonic books from your drug store...or book store.... (Target actually had some for 1.00 in their dollar bins at our local target store- check yours) ONCE YOU DO A PAGE OR TWO with your child EXPAND on the skill you just practiced.  FOr example- IF you did a page on the letter B- try making a list of words that begin with B.  Once you make the list you can underline certain things....

Go in a hunt looking for the Bs in your house....

do lots with "word families"  have hime sort- cat,fat,bat,that,brat,hat (etc) with words like bog, hog,fog etc.... (or sort them with other RANDOM words.....day, hop, kid.....it might be easier to start with the random words)

ALSO encourage your child to "journal".  Have him pick something he did that day and draw a picture.  Then write about it together.  Help him sound out and write easy word (park, swim, grandma....)

REALLY REALLY it will happen- the best thing you really can do is read and make books fun and important.  READING WILL COME!

good luck and again, let me know if you want a list of ideas for the games!

Answer 10

Help him to create word cards using magazines, index cards or sentence strips, glue, markers and scissors.

Let him find pictures of things he wants to know the words for.  After cutting them out, glue one on the end of the card or strip and then write the word next to it.

You can also create these using family photos, etc.

By making the cards himself, he will have more ownership of the words.  If you can't find a picture in a magazine, you might be able to find it on the internet.

He can then use the word cards to write his own books that he can read himself.

Answer 11

It is hard when you do well in a subject, but not as well as others that come easily.  I had this problem even through high school.  I had fantastic math skills and average to above average reading skills.  I would get frustrated when reading and finally blank out for about 20 pages - reading but not thinking about the story.  I thought I had a serious reading problem until I made the discovery that reading just wasn't as strong a point for me as other subjects.  Then I was fine with it.  Too bad I wasted many hours to figure that out.

I'm babbling.  Let me help you now.

When I teach children to read, I make the following guidelines:

1)  I will only teach them 2 letter sounds a day.  There has just been something about teaching 3 that it's just often "too much" for many children that age to retain to the next day.  Plus, if I set this limit, they don't feel like they're falling behind.  I won't let them go further...so they never feel like they're having trouble picking it up.

--To teach something, a helpful tool is what we call the three period lesson:

(Period 1)  Give the sound of two of the letters.  "This is /a/   /a/.   Say /a/"  (The sound in this case...not the name of the letter). *show him "s"*   "This is /s/.  /s/.  Say /s/."

(Period 2)  Test.  "Which one is /s/?"  "Which one is /a/?"  You can mix them up and ask in a different order until the child seems to have mastered this letter.  This shows the child understands it, but it's not mastered yet.

(Period 3)  Ask the child to tell you.  "What's this?"  "And this is...?"  

An intermediate step I sometimes use between period 2 and 3, if the child needs that extra jump.  "What's this?  *pause*  Is it /a/ or /s/?"

Keep a list of the letters they know and the ones they are working on.  One way to do this is have a list of all the letters.  After going over the letter sounds, put a diagonal line for when they are at the first period.  Put a horizontal line under that for 2nd period.  Then the other diagonal line (to make a triangle) for 3rd period.

So...let's say he knows a lot of the letter sounds.  Or even all of them.  What's next?

Spelling.

"What?"  You say!!!!!!  Spelling!?!?!?

For many children, yes.  Not all children, but if your son is having difficulty reading, he may actually be ready for spelling if he knows a lot of the letter sounds.  Get a moveable alphabet from here:

http://www.montessoriconcepts.com/produc...

They have a small one for about $40.  (They're usually around $80-90.)  I purchased some materials from them and have always been satisfied.

Once you have it, you can have him start making words.  Start with three letter, totally phonetic words.  Have him hold up 3 fingers and say each sound to him.

"Cat.  *touch the first finger*  /c/  *touch the 2nd finger* /a/  *touch the 3rd finger* /t/.  (Point to the correct finger as you make the sounds.  /c/a/t/.  What's our *point to first finger*  First sound?"

Have him find all three.  He'll eventually feel comfortable enough that he will be able to do it without the finger help.  Once he has 3 letter phonetic words down, throw out some 4 letter words for him.  Don't worry about perfect spelling right now.  Worry about whether he spelled it phonetically.  "kan" is ok at this point (as opposed to "can.")  

Play I spy. Start with beginning sounds. "I spy with my little eye something that starts with /s/."

Then move to ending sounds "...something that ENDS in /t/"  

A word about reading that I see a lot of:  Be careful how much information you give.  I've helped so many children learn to read and I still can't tell you how hard it is to sit on my hands and bite my lip.  If they're struggling to think of a particular letter sound or they're struggling through a word, don't say anything until you're absolutely certain you must.  I am teaching children some reading skills as they leave the school and it drives me nuts when a parent jumps in after 2 seconds or after the child first picked the wrong letter and they say, "It's A."  It's better that they don't get the word and you stop to break it down for them in smaller steps than it is if you simply give them the answer.  Learn to think of how to break it down to smaller steps if you can and you'll do a lot better.

If you can, try to have a chart that has an alphabet with phonetic pictures (And "g" is not "giraffe" in phonics).  I found a decent one online and can share it with you if you ask.  Actually, someone in yahoo answers found it for me.  If he's stuck on which sound is "/a/" he can go to the alphabet and find the "ant" and know that starts with /a/.  At least if he's at that stage, he can.  That way, he doesn't have to come to you for the answer every time - which will make it stick longer.

Good luck and happy reading!

Matt

Answer 12

Good question. I have a 5 year old also and was wondering the same question, although when I talked to his teacher she said not to worry about his reading just yet.

But I'm interested to read the responses to your question so maybe I could use them with my son.

Answer 13

I do agree with the flashcards, but have him keep trying and don't let him get discouraged.  Try reading the cat in the hat, and maybe take turns reading that way it would be fun way for the two of you.

Try talking to a teacher at school, and see what they suggest I;m sure they have plenty of ideas.

try making flashcards with the letter a and start small

like

a

at

an

I hope this helps and good luck. thanks for thinking of me when you posted the question

Answer 14

Hook on Phonics

This is the best program EVER!!!!

Within 15 minutes my 4 year old was reading.  We practice 30 minutes a day EVERDAY.  I have made it a game and we have a set time everyday.  Then at bedtime we read three books (they are short books) and it is the same 3 for about a week.  

Good Luck and have fun.

Answer 15

Greetings!  There are several things that need to be in place in order for a child to read.  Contrary to what President W says, it is very rare for a five year old to read.  Strong reading skills tend not to meld until first or second grade.

The first thing you can do is find the very simplest of books for your chld. I remember as a child, my grandparents got involved with a book order program and I received Cat in the Hat books.  I loved the feel of the books and enjoyed the pictures.  I eventually memorized much of the books and as I went along, some words stuck.  One book that I remember reading by myself was called "HOP ON POP".  It was a very simple book.   Each page would have two large words.  For example, one said HOP and POP.  then the text read, "Hop on Pop."  Then the next page said "STOP. STOP the HOP on POP."  

Can your child write his name?  If he can, can he identify the letters of his name?   If he can write his first name, then work on his last name in the same fashion.  Then, when he can do that, work on having him write the phone number.  This will help with letter identification and also introduce basic writing skills.

While you are playing with names, take index cards and write all the names of your family.  Mix them up and have him try and find his name with your family.  That's a fun game that helps him memorize words.

Once you have that in place, have him choose words he is interested in.  Say, he likes the word, "dragon".  Write the word down for him , then have him copy the letters.  This will help him learn more letters.

You mentioned that he likes math and science.  My suggestion would be to go to the library and get books that help him count and also have words.  If he likes bugs, for example, you could find some child friendly bug books.  You could also check out books that are slightly higher than his level.   In this case, it's not important to read himself, but to expose him to the books and he can look at the pictures.  Studying pictures is also a reading tool.

One last suggestion.  Children who are great readers most likely have parents who like to read.   Do you read?  Let him see how much you enjoy it.  Newspapers, school books, career enhancement journals, magazines, your favorite writer...all those.  If he sees you reading and how much you value reading, he will want to do the same.

Reading is a multiple step process.  If you push too hard, he may get frustrated and then it isn't fun.  Let the process take place on his own.  Presuming he is going to Kindergarten this fall, your teacher will have other suggestions, especially catered to his needs.

For me, not only did I have those Dr. Suess books, but my dad was going to college for his BS degree.  Mom was very busy with my coop preschool projects.  She used to carry a huge notebook filled with papers.  Reading was very, very important, so I picked up on it...and I had a learning disability.

Today, I am also returning to college for my BS degree, and love reading all kinds of books.  Histories, mysteries, children's books (yes, I picked up Harry Potter over the weekend).  We have several bookshelves filled to over stock with books.  When we have our grandchildren stop by, they see that we are passionate readers.  So far, they are interested in what we are doing and want us to read to them.

I hope that helps you.  Good luck.

Answer 16

my mom would always read to my every night since i was a little kid(up until i was maybe 8). she did it with funny voices so i really paid attention. its been found now in many studies that this helps kids learn to read faster and earlier......it worked for me, i started first grade in the upper reading level class. it might not make alot of sense because the child is just listening to u read, but it works!

Answer 17

My daughter started reading all by herself at 2. Like your son, she's also a perfectionist. She's discouraged easily and would be embarrassed when she read wrongly.

All we did was to read to her daily before bed. She did not show any signs that she could read until one day, we "caught" her reading the "Ugly Duckling" all by herself at the corner of the room.

These are the books that we read to her:

1. Peter and Jane keyword series

http://books.ladybird.co.uk/nf/Browse/Br...

2. Ladybird Phonics series

http://books.ladybird.co.uk/nf/Book/Book...

3. Read with Ladybird series

http://books.ladybird.co.uk/nf/Book/Book...

You could also buy "Your baby can read" VCD or DVDs.

http://www.yourbabycanread.com/

Wish you success and don't give up. :)